Second Best
by Broe929
Summary: AJ had given up on her dreams a long time ago but CM Punk is far too intrigued and smitten to let her...slightly AUish.
1. April

**A/N: Ok here it is! New multi-chapter story. It's slightly AUish in some aspects but it all revolves around Wrestling and WWE. Anyways read and review (I own nothing obvie) and follow me on Twitter: broe929**

* * *

**April**

* * *

AJ was sitting backstage at Raw watching one of the monitors. She was in awe as she watched Beth Phoenix and Eve fight in the ring. That had been her dream for so long but it just never panned out for her. She lucky enough to get a job at WWE, which was always her dream, but just not in this capacity, seamstress to the on-air talent was not something she had ever envisioned for herself. She let out a breath and sighed as she watched Beth retain her title and raise her arm in victory.

Working back here did have its perks, she loved traveling with everyone and even though she wasn't exactly in the ring she still felt she was part of the process and all the talent she worked with treated her great. She remembered how she saved all of her money to go to wrestling school and ended up training with Jay Lethal who she started to date, when that went south things became difficult for her but she stuck it out but once both had moved onto other people she dropped out. But Jay wasn't really the problem they remained somewhat friendly and he was the one who hooked her up with this job to begin with. Why she never went back to training or went somewhere else was still a question in her own mind. Not many women wrestlers start off as seamstresses.

"Hey AJ" Dolph Ziggler aka Nick shouted jogging towards her "I need you to work your magic for me" he said handing her a brand new t-shirt.

"Another new shirt?" AJ smiled fondly, inspecting the blue t-shirt "It's pretty cool"

"That it is and I need you to cut it up and make it look even better" Dolph pleaded slightly

"I'll see what I can do" AJ said placing the shirt on her table "How much time do I have?"

"Fifteen minutes" Dolph said nervously as AJ just rolled her eyes "I know, I know but I just got the shirt now"

"Alright" AJ frowned looking at the shirt trying to decide what to do with the shirt "I think I can make this work"

"I knew you could" Dolph said happily "You're seriously the best" he said kissing her cheek roughly "I'll be back in ten minutes"

"It'll be done in eight" AJ remarked smugly

"Seriously I owe you a drink" Dolph said walking away

"I don't drink!" AJ reminded him with a laugh

"You'll crack one day" Dolph laughed as he headed down the hallway

"Good policy to have" a voice said startling AJ from behind

"You scared me" AJ said placing her hand over her rapidly beating heart

"Sorry" Punk shrugged with a simple smile. AJ didn't really know CM Punk well, but he always shot her a smile when passing her and on occasion he accompanied Beth when AJ would fit her for her a new outfit "Seriously though don't let anyone back here bully you into drinking or anything else they're into it" he said to her in a more firm voice

"He' s just teasing me" AJ said brushing it off "But believe me no one could ever bully me into anything" Punk offered her a faint smile as he watched her cut away at Dolph's shirt

"Yea you seem pretty tough to me" Punk noted fondly "I'll see you around April" he said surprising her, no one ever called her that here. "Or do you prefer Miss. April?" he questioned using her old 'in-ring' name that Jay had created for her.

"How do you know about that?" she asked surprised

"I know Jay he mentioned you work here" Punk said to her "He kept asking me how April was doing and I had no idea it was you"

"That's me" AJ said with a slight shrug as she went back to cutting Dolph's shirt "I prefer AJ though"

"Whatever you say April" Punk grinned with a wink then strutted away. AJ looked up and watched Punk walk away in awe, how dare he! She thought to herself.

* * *

As Raw wrapped up she watched as CM Punk celebrated his win in the ring. He was the newly crowned WWE champion and there was a lot of buzz surrounding the man. AJ didn't know what all the hype was all about- I mean he was great and she knew it but he was difficult to work with. Again AJ had never had to deal with him and today was the most they had ever spoken but she has been witness to many of his temper tantrums. She also wasn't a fan on how he basically held the entire company hostage while he re-signed his contract. He was arrogant, smug, rude and the true definition of a jerk.

"AJ" Beth said walking over to her causing her to turn her head at her small station and find the angry WWE Diva's champion.

"What's up Beth?" AJ forced out

"This is what's up" Beth said roughly handing her the skirt to her outfit she wore tonight "It ripped! On live TV!" AJ closely examined it and saw a minor tare

"Yea it did" AJ agreed handing it back to her "You should go see the person who made it for you, I can tell just by the stitching it was Sandra"

"She's not here this week and I was told you can fix it" Beth said handing it back to her "And I need it done tonight, I have a show tomorrow"

"I'm all packed up" AJ informed her "The show is over. I'll give it to you tomorrow"

"You are aware you work for me right?" Beth questioned

"Last time I checked a 'McMahon' signed my check at the end of the day" AJ retorted sweetly "I'm willing to do you the favor and fix your skirt but I can't drop everything to attend to you."

"You know-" Beth started

"There you are" Punk smiled walking over to Beth. He was covered in sweat and sipping on a bottle of water. AJ glanced over and felt herself almost start to drool. Was he always this hot? She asked herself . She quickly turned and faced Beth as Punk came up behind her

"Sorry I'm running a little late" Beth said to her boyfriend "AJ here was just about to sew up my skirt and when she's done we can go" Punk just nodded

"You two can actually go now because I won't be fixing the skirt until tomorrow" AJ reminded Beth as she placed the skirt into one of her bags "I'm off the clock" she said with a wink and Punk couldn't help but grin slightly

"How about I talk to my friend Stephanie McMahon and ask her-" Beth started

"Do you really need this right now?" Punk asked surprising Beth "She'll get to it when she gets to it and besides you're not going to be needing a skirt tonight or anything for that matter" he smirked towards his girlfriend who immediately blushed at the comment while AJ felt like gagging.

"Fine" Beth said to him then glared in AJ's direction "Tomorrow will be enough time for you?"

"I'll put it right on the top of my to do list" AJ remarked sarcastically causing Beth to laugh in annoyance

"Alright girly" Beth said giving her a smirk then headed down the hall

"Thanks" AJ mumbled towards Punk

"Don't mention it…" Punk said walking past her sipping his water then glanced his head back "….April" he said with a laugh as he turned his back and disappeared down the hall with Beth. AJ just narrowed her eyes at the infuriating man.

* * *

"You should have heard the way he said it!" AJ shouted in her hotel room towards her roommate

"It's just the way he is" Celeste laughed

"What gives him the right to call me April?" AJ asked her friend "I told him I prefer AJ"

"He's teasing you" Celeste said with a grin "He's really not all that bad. Just be happy he intervened with Beth or she would have had your job"

"Oh no not that" AJ mocked slightly "I'd hate to lose my job of cutting t-shirts"

"You love it" Celeste reminded her "But maybe if you did get fired it would nudge you back in the right direction of the ring"

"It's over Celeste" AJ told her with a hint of sadness in her voice

"Jay said he'd still train you" Celeste reminded her "Hell he even said he'd get you into any school you wanted! Why are you throwing this away! You train with me all of the time and you are damn good"

"It just wasn't for me" AJ informed her

"Is that what you think or what Christian thinks?" Celeste asked causing AJ to narrow her eyes at her friend

"Me" AJ said firmly

"You always tell me how he doesn't want you to work" Celeste said to her

"He doesn't but he respects what I do and wants me to be happy" AJ said to her as Celeste let out a snort

"This job doesn't make you happy, you want to know what makes you happy? Wrestling! In a few weeks you're going to be cutting up my shirts" she told AJ

"I'm really happy for you" AJ said genuinely

"You should be debuting with me" Celeste argued back

"It's too late" AJ said to her "And I've made peace with the fact that I'm never going to wrestle for the WWE or any other organization for that matter"

"You can't let him control you" Celeste said to her

"Jesus Celeste!" AJ shouted "I'm my own person and I make my choices."

"Fine" Celeste said as she watched AJ grab her gym bag "Where are you going?"

"The gym" AJ informed her

"At this hour?" Celeste asked "I'll go with you"

"I'd really rather be alone" AJ bit back at her "I'll see you later"

* * *

AJ was on the treadmill for about forty minutes at a high speed. She was completely in the moment shutting out the world completely as she ran and ran as fast as she could. When she hit the hour mark she turned off the treadmill and grabbed her towel and walked towards her bag.

"What are you running from?" a voice asked AJ causing her to roll her eyes

"It's just a treadmill" AJ huffed pulling her drink out of her bag and sipping on it but frowned when she realized there was no water left in it. "You can't really get far on it"

"Seemed to me like you were running away" CM Punk said with a straight face as he handed his canister of water over to her and she just eyed him oddly "I don't have any mouth diseases I assure you" he said to her.

"Thanks" she muttered before sipping on the water and handing him back his canister "So what is with you?" she asked "You've never talked to me before and today you're all over me" Punk bit on his lower lip to suppress a laugh

"I'm just curious" Punk told her honestly "Once I figured out you were thee 'Miss. April' I had to try to find out what happened"

"What happened? With what?" she asked confused

"Your wrestling career" Punk said seriously as he folded his arms "Jay said you were top of the class filled with all men. So why did you walk away?"

"Jay and I dated and broke up" AJ shrugged simply

"So?" Punk asked "I work with a lot of my exes" he informed her

"Believe me I know" AJ muttered "It just didn't feel right"

"You could have gone to any wrestling school" Punk said to her "And obviously you and Jay were still friendly since it was his connections that got you a job here to begin with"

"I just lost the passion" AJ admitted shyly

"You don't just lose the passion for this" Punk laughed "And clearly you didn't. I saw the way you were watching the matches tonight."

"I really don't feel like talking about this" AJ said zipping up her bag "Especially with a stranger"

"I'm not a stranger" Punk insisted "We've worked together for over a year"

"And today is the first time you've ever spoken to me" AJ reminded him "I also don't need to confide in someone who is just going to run back and tell my ex everything that's going on with me"

"I'm not a rat" Punk said in a low voice "I don't even have Jay's number. He's friends with a couple of my friends and we all hung out a week ago."

"So if you're not bothering me because of Jay why are you doing it than?" she questioned as threw her bag over her shoulder

"I'm intrigued by your story" Punk admitted honestly "And I want to help you"

"You want to help me?" AJ laughed "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"Jay showed me a couple of your matches and you are better than good" Punk told her "The WWE needs someone like you. Someone to break down doors, shatter glass ceilings and rejuvenate the Diva's division"

"I think your girlfriends is doing a mighty fine job with that" AJ said to him coolly

"She's leaving" Punk told her "Don't say anything because it won't be for a while"

"I'm sorry" AJ said to him "I'm sure that's going to be difficult for you"

"Let me work with you" Punk said to her

"Thanks but no thanks" AJ said to him quickly

"If you change your mind and want to train let me know" Punk said to her "You know where to find me"

"Right" AJ said with an almost bitter laugh "Goodnight Punk"

"April" he said nodding his head politely

"Can you please not call me that?" she asked him

"I think it's a pretty name" Punk said simply "I'll tell you what you can call me Phil"

"You like to be called Phil?" AJ asked surprised

"No I hate it but I'll give you a pass" Punk said to her

"Or I can call you Punk and you can call me AJ" AJ suggested but Punk just shook his head

"I'll see you at Smackdown April" Punk said to her with a grin as she huffed and stormed out of the gym.

* * *

**A/N: Obviously we can all see where this is going, right? **


	2. Being Friends

**Chapter 2: Being Friends**

* * *

Punk made back up to his hotel room that he was sharing with his girlfriend Beth and tossed his gym bag to the corner of the room.

"Where have you been?" Beth asked walking out of the bathroom

"The gym" he said quietly

"You didn't want company?" Beth questioned

"Nah I wasn't there long" Punk shrugged taking off his t-shirt and kicking off his shoes

"So what was up with you and AJ earlier?" Beth asked

"What do you mean?" Punk asked "You were being a little harsh with her, don't you think?"

"Maybe but I didn't realize she was a friend of yours" Beth said to him "I never would have jumped all over her if I had known"

"Really?" Punk snorted with a laugh

"Ok I would have been slightly nicer" Beth smiled "Seriously what's up with you two?"

"I barely know her but I found out she used to train with Jay Lethal" Punk told her

"Really?" Beth asked "So what? She couldn't hack it?"

"From what I heard she was one of the best students he had ever had" Punk informed her "And she just quit one day"

"So now you're intrigued" Beth smirked

"Something like that" Punk shrugged "Have you heard anything about her backstage?"

"We don't really gossip about the lower level employees" Beth informed Punk "But if she quit wrestling and refuses to go back maybe it has to do with Christian"

"Christian?" Punk asked surprised "What does he have to do with it?"

"Not Christian the wrestler you nerd" Beth laughed "Christian Scott- her boyfriend"

"Am I supposed to know him?" Punk questioned

"You really do live in a bubble" Beth frowned "He's a billionaire business mogul"

"Never heard of him" Punk shrugged simply "So what does he have to do with her not wrestling?"

"I'm assuming Mr. Billionaire doesn't want his arm candy showing up for charity events with black eyes" Beth said to him "As a matter of fact I've heard your new friend AJ telling people he doesn't want her working at all. I mean I don't see why she still works. Clearly this man wants to take care of her, why she continues to travel around with us and cut up clothes is beyond me"

"Maybe she has a little pride" Punk mocked "Or maybe she really loves the business"

"Or maybe she wants to be away from him" Beth shot at him "I hear he could be very suffocating but regardless of her reasons it's really not your business"

"When has that ever stopped me before?" Punk smirked

"Never but I suggest you leave it alone. She's a big girl who clearly can take care of herself, if she truly wanted to wrestle she would" Beth insisted "Now can we stop talking about her and move on to more important things?" she questioned as Punk walked over to her and pulled her into a kiss "You're all sweaty" she said scrunching her face up

"You like me sweaty" he reminded her as he started to kiss down her neck

"No I like making you sweaty" Beth reminded him

"So shower with me" Punk muttered against her skin

"I just showered…." She sighed feeling his lips against her neck "…but I suppose I can use another one"

"That's right baby" Punk grinned pulling her into the bathroom

* * *

AJ woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing she glanced at the time and saw it was only six in the morning.

"Hello?" she asked in a groggy voice

"Good morning my beautiful goddess" a sweet but strong voice responded

"I can get used to waking up like that" AJ smiled into the phone

"I'll wake you up like that every morning- in person if you take me up on my offer" Christian said to her

"We've talked about this" AJ groaned rolling onto her back and glancing over to the other bed to make sure Celeste was still asleep

"No you've talked about it. You won't even hear me out" Christian reminded her

"I like it here" AJ said to him "You said you would support me" she reminded him

"When we get married this ends" Christian told her "I need you at my side not on the road with a bunch of juiced up men"

"Well will worry about that when we and if we get married" AJ muttered

"If?" Christian laughed arrogantly "April I need to get into a meeting but I'll send someone to collect you from the airport tonight"

"I don't know Christian" she grumbled "I'm so tired I was thinking of staying tonight as well and flying out tomorrow morning"

"I booked your flight already" Christian reminded her "Your flight leaves at midnight"

"You do know the company pays for my flights" AJ reminded him

"I don't need Vince McMahon to pay for you to travel" Christian scuffed

"Ahh a billionaire pissing contest" AJ mocked "I love those"

"Don't be late for your flight and I love you" Christian said and before she could respond he hung up

* * *

AJ always arrived long before the talent at events so she could get everyone's attire set for the night. First thing she pulled out of her bag was Beth's skirt and rolled her eyes remembering her encounter with the glamazon last night and her equally annoying boyfriend.

"Stupid skirt" AJ muttered pulling some thread out "I didn't even make it" she muttered as she roughly stitched the skirt "My stuff doesn't rip" she said to herself

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Punk asked coming up behind AJ effectively scaring the crap out of her and causing her to stick her needle into her finger

"Crap!" AJ shouted shaking her finger

"Sorry" Punk chuckled

"You should be" AJ shot at him "I may have gotten blood on your girlfriends outfit"

"She won't notice" Punk said brushing it off "Let me see" he said grabbing her hand

"No it's fine-" she started but Punk took her hand into his own and closely inspected her finger

"I don't think you'll need stitches" he teased but in a serious voice

"Gee thanks doctor" AJ retorted jerking her hand out of his "Why are you here so early?"

"I train in the ring before I start" Punk said to her "It's the first thing set up and I like to run through things before I have a match"

"Well you better get to it" AJ said to him as sucked on her finger that was still bleeding slightly

"I was wondering if you'd join me" Punk suggested innocently "I could use someone to work against"

"I have a lot of work to do" AJ said to him "Plus I now have to wash Beth's skirt"

"You have time" Punk said to her

"I really don't" AJ shot at him

"Ok so how about after the show?" Punk suggested

"I'm flying out tonight" AJ told him in an almost sad voice

"Don't you run on our schedules?" Punk questioned "You should be flying tomorrow"

"I should be" AJ remarked "But…I opted to get my own ticket"

"You're going to be exhausted" Punk noted

"Look I don't know what you're trying to do or why you're trying to do it" AJ said to him with a sigh "But I decided a long time ago I don't want to be in the ring and I'd really like it if you accepted that"

"Ok" Punk said seemingly giving in "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable"

"You haven't" AJ promised "I just don't like to talk about wrestling"

"What do you like to talk about?" Punk asked leaning against the wall

"I don't know" AJ laughed slightly "Hawkeye, Batman, Harley Quinn, Buffy, the new Grand theft Auto game" she shrugged slightly

"You're a nerd" Punk said with a large smile

"That's kind of rude" AJ shot at him defensively "But I won't argue it. I am admittedly a nerd"

"So am I" Punk smirked "I can engage in hour long conversations on all of those topics minus Buffy"

"You're missing out" AJ teased "Buffy was a great show"

"Maybe you could tell me about it sometime" Punk said coolly

"Won't your girlfriend mind?" AJ asked him tilting her head

"Nope. Beth and I trust each other completely" Punk said to her confidentially "I'm allowed to have girl friends as a matter of fact most of my friends are girls"

"And you want me to be your friend?" AJ asked

"Why is that so hard to believe? You think I'm just trying to get you into bed?" he asked causing her to blush and feel embarrassed "I do have a girlfriend April" he added then smiled "I'm messing with you"

"Funny" AJ choked out deadpanned

"I can see you drink coffee" Punk said nodding towards her empty coffee cup "Why don't we grab a cup together?"

"I don't think so" AJ said nervously.

"There's a starbucks down the road" Punk said causing her eyes to widen. He knew he hit a sweet spot

"I really can't" AJ said shaking the thought out of her head

"Why? Does your boyfriend not like you having male friends?" he questioned

"Something like that" AJ mumbled as she went back to sewing Beth's skirt

"Interesting" Punk said with a frown "That's a shame because I'm pretty awesome company"

"Yea I hear you're a real ball of laughs" AJ giggled

"You believe everything you hear back here?" Punk questioned and AJ just shrugged "Anyway I get it. Your boyfriend totally controls your life and every aspect of it and I am not at all judging you for it"

"He doesn't control me" AJ shot at him

"No clearly he does. It must be nice that he has such a dutiful, loyal girlfriend" Punk said seriously

"I do what I want" AJ said to him

"Except for wrestling and grabbing a coffee with a coworker" Punk added simply "I won't bother you again April" he said to her then turned and walked down the hall away leaving AJ alone and now second guessing herself.

* * *

About half an hour later AJ wandered down the ring and saw Punk running the ropes. He stopped when he saw her and waited for her to reach the ring.

"Change your mind?" Punk asked slightly out of breath

"No I just had some extra time and thought I'd see what you could do" AJ said simply causing him to smile and nod

"Ok" Punk said biting on his lower lip "But you do realize I'm the champ? I'm the best in the world."

"Yea I've read your t-shirts" She shot at him and now Punk was completely enthralled with this woman he barely knows

"Come on in" Punk insisted holding up the middle rope for her but she shook her head no "Suit yourself. I don't blame you though most women would rather sit and watch me"

"Not many of them are looking to get their hands on you, huh?" AJ shot back and Punk let out a loud laugh

"You're kind of rude, anybody ever tell you that?" Punk asked

"I've been called 'sassy'" AJ told him innocently

"I wouldn't call you sassy" Punk said fondly

"What would you call me?" AJ asked

"Well rude for one but I like that" Punk said to her "Talented would be another word oh and beautiful" AJ couldn't help but blush at the last word

"You're blushing" Punk noted leaning against the ropes and looking down at her "Mr. Moneybags doesn't think your pretty?"

"Actually he tells me every morning" AJ informed him arrogantly

"Good" Punk said to her stepping away from the ropes "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"No and I need to get back" she said quickly then turned on her heel and headed back her station. Punk smiled in the ring as he watched her leave

"I'm getting there" Punk said to himself happily

* * *

Smackdown had just wrapped up for the night and AJ was packing up her things. Thanks to all of Punk's pestering she was now starting to get the wrestling itch all over again. All she wanted to do was go to the gym and hit a punching bag for a few hours but she knew she had to head straight to the airport.

"AJ" Beth said walking over to her "I just wanted to thank you for fixing my skirt" she said to her sweetly "And I'm sorry for biting your head off last night"

"It's my job and don't worry about it" AJ said brushing it off

"Seriously I was in a bad mood" Beth said to her offering her a smile "And I know being here can't be easy for you as it is"

"What do you mean?" AJ asked

"Punk told me about how you used to wrestle" Beth said to her "I get it but he doesn't. You're very small and probably wouldn't make it far here and you realized that before you embarrassed yourself and I totally respect that"

"That's not the reason" AJ said to her coldly

"Right" Beth smiled "Just do me a favor if my boyfriend comes sniffing around you again about this just shoo him off he's kind of like a dog with a bone"

"Right" AJ bit back as nicely as possible

"You're good at what you do AJ" Beth said sweetly "Stick to it." AJ didn't get a chance to respond because Punk was now making his way over

"You ready?" Punk asked his girlfriend

"Yea I was just thanking AJ for working on my attire" Beth said to her

"You're welcome" AJ choked out

"You said you're heading to the airport do you need a ride?" Punk offered causing Beth to shoot him a glare "We've got plenty of room"

"No that's ok" AJ said with a laugh as Beth just smirked towards AJ

"April" a familiar firm voice boomed she looked up and couldn't believe her eyes. Both Punk and Beth turned their heads and saw the infamous Christian Scott walking over to them.

"Christian" AJ said feeling nervous, he never showed up at work

"Hi baby" he smiled walking right over to her and cupping her face pulling her into a rough kiss

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked him still in shock

"I wanted to make sure you got on that plane" Christian said with a frown "I've missed you" AJ then noticed Punk and Beth were both still standing there. Beth had a wide smile on her face while Punk looked amused

"Christian this is Beth and Punk" she said introducing the two to her boyfriend and he shook both of their hands

"Nice to meet you" Christian smiled warmly placing his arm around AJ's shoulders "You both work backstage as well?" Punk let out a laugh while Beth slightly elbowed him in the stomach

"No Punk is the Champion and I am the Diva's champion" Beth informed him politely.

"Very nice" Christian smiled with a nod. "Well we must be going April the car is out back"

"Ok" AJ said shyly "Bye guys" AJ said to Punk and Beth who just nodded and watched as Christian grabbed AJ's bags and walked her out of the arena

"Wow" Beth laughed "He's even hotter in person!"

"Really?" Punk mocked annoyed at Beth

"He kind of reminds me of Batman" Beth said to him honestly

"You mean Bruce Wayne" Punk mumbled "And he's no Bruce Wayne"

"I don't know he seemed pretty intimidating" Beth noted

"Bruce Wayne is a jerk not intimidating" Punk noted

"What's the difference?" Beth asked

"There's a huge difference" Punk said as they grabbed their own bags and headed towards his bus

"I bet he's taking her on his private jet" Beth said to him

"He has his own jet?" Punk asked her

"He's worth more than all the McMahon's combined" Beth said to him "Don't you follow any business news?"

"Nope" Punk said as they stepped outside and Punk watched as AJ and Christian got into the backseat of a large SUV

"I don't get why she's here, I really don't" Beth mumbled as she stepped on Punk's bus.

* * *

"Why did you come?" AJ asked Christian as soon as the driver closed the door and both sat in the back seat of the SUV

"You seemed hesitant about coming home this morning" Christian told her simply "I just wanted to make sure you did"

"My word wasn't good enough?" AJ asked him in a hurt voice

"I love you and I worry about you that's all" Christian said grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles lightly

"It was embarrassing" AJ said to him

"I embarrass you?" Christian laughed

"It was like a parent picking up their child from school" AJ frowned

"I apologize that wasn't my intention" Christian promised "I thought you'd enjoy the surprise, didn't you miss me?" AJ offered him a slight smile

"Of course" AJ said pulling him into a quick kiss "I'm just really tired"

"I know baby" Christian soothed "You can sleep on the plane"

"How did you get backstage anyway?" AJ asked

"I can get anywhere" Christian laughed "And I had a meeting with your boss"

"Vince?" AJ asked and Christian nodded "About what?"

"Just some investment opportunities" Christian shrugged simply

"You're not really into pro-wrestling" AJ noted

"I'm not but you are" Christian smiled "I thought this could be a nice way to show I support you"

"Why didn't you tell me?" AJ asked

"I like surprising you" he said running his hand over knee and all the way up her thigh

"But Christian-" AJ started but stopped when she felt him kissing her neck "…not here" she said to him

"He can't hear us" Christian assured her nodding towards the tinted glass divider that separated them from the driver

"Ok" AJ said giving in as Christian removed her jacket "But we will talk about this later" she warned as she felt his hands unbutton on her jeans

"Later baby I promise" Christian whispered into her ear


	3. Giving In

**Chapter 3: Giving In**

* * *

It was Sunday and normally AJ was off. She only worked televised events but tonight was a pay-per-view so she was off to work and happy to be back. She picked up her notes from creative and management and looked over everything they needed done. It was going to be a simple night for her. She was cutting up a shirt for Dolph, a cut up shirt for Nattie and Ryback.

"AJ" Stephanie McMahon smiled walking over to her. AJ looked surprised because Stephanie normally never spoke to her

"Hi Mrs. McMahon" AJ said nervously "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes that's why I was coming over" Stephanie smiled "And please call me Stephanie"

"Ok" AJ said with a nervous smile

"Creative and management have been very pleased with your designs" Stephanie informed her "And were thinking about selling some shirts with your cut ups so if you're free tomorrow for breakfast we would love to sit down with you and merchandising team and talk"

"Seriously?" AJ asked stunned

"Seriously" Stephanie confirmed with a giddy smile "And with all of this talk we're even discussing a raise"

"Wow" AJ said flattered, where was all of this coming from? She thought to herself "I'm so excited"

"So are we" Stephanie said just as excitedly "And by the way I met your boyfriend last week when he picked you up and he very charming" oh….so that's where this was all coming from. AJ face fell slightly but she kept on her smile

"Yes he is" AJ agreed slightly "I should really get back to work-" she started off

"Of course and congratulations AJ" Stephanie said to her happily then walked away

"AJ!" a voice shouted making there way over to the young seamstress

"Great" AJ muttered

"AJ I'm filming a backstage segment and I need my shirt" Wade Barrett said to her

"You don't cut up your shirts" AJ reminded him

"Didn't you get my note?" Wade asked annoyed

"No" AJ said looking through her notes again

"I need the shirt now I'm filming in five minutes" Wade argued

"I just go there" AJ said to him quickly

"I left you the note Tuesday night" Wade said coldly

"I left a little early Tuesday" AJ admitted. Christian had picked her up earlier then when she usually left

"Are you kidding me!" Wade shouted but AJ didn't flinch at all

"I'm sorry Wade" AJ told him simply "I can't do it"

"You are the most useless employee here, do you realize that?" Wade asked and as AJ opened his mouth to respond someone else cut her off

"No matter what your shirt looks like no one is going to buy it" Punk told Wade who narrowed his eyes at the current champion "I mean I know April could really work wonders but you're hopeless"

"You're a real pain in my ass" Wade muttered "And AJ thank you for nothing"

"You're welcome" AJ smiled as Wade walked away "That's the second time you had my back, thanks"

"No problem" Punk said brushing it off

"So what can I do for you? Want me to cut up one of your shirts?" she teased

"Nah I'm not really into that, no offense" Punk smirked

"None taken" AJ said to him

"So you kind of rushed out of her Tuesday night" Punk said to her

"Yea Christian was in a hurry" AJ noted

"Yea he seemed it. He also seems like a douche bag" Punk told her honestly as AJ's eyes widened

"He's a really great guy" AJ defended "He's very protective of me"

"Some would call it possessive" Punk said coolly

"He's a really good man" AJ told him

"I'll take your word for it" Punk said to her "Is he the reason you won't get back into a ring?"

"What?" AJ asked surprised

"I can't imagine a man who doesn't even trust his girlfriend to get on a plane would be ok with her getting into a wrestling ring" Punk pointed out with a shrug "How off am I?"

"I'm not going to discuss this with you" AJ remarked coldly

"You're talented" Punk argued with her "You're wasting your talent"

"I'll have you know that I have a meeting tomorrow with the merchandising team to incorporate some of my cut ups into their designs" AJ told him happily

"I'm sure that has nothing to do with your boyfriend hanging around Vince McMahon" Punk laughed and that stung AJ. She knew that was the reason but the fact that Punk picked up on it so quickly really bothered her. "I'm sorry" he said noticing her long face "You do good work here"

"I don't care what you think" AJ shot at him

"I think you do" Punk said to her "Come train with me tonight April"

"You have a big match tonight" AJ reminded him "I don't think you'll be up to working out and I already told you no and stop calling me April!"

"You seem tense" Punk said brushing off her outburst "I'll be at the hotel gym at 11:30pm if you don't show I'll leave you alone"

"Don't hold your breath Phillip" AJ shot at him as he walked away

* * *

It was 11:45 that night and AJ wasn't sure what possessed her to head down to the gym but she threw on her workout clothes and secretly hoped Punk was still there. When she pushed the door open she saw a few people but Punk wasn't one. She frowned slightly upon not seeing him and as she was turning to leave bumped right into him who was walking in after her.

"Sorry April" Punk smirked helping her back up

"Oh my god is your chest made of bricks?" AJ questioned

"Thank you" Punk grinned "Sure you're ok?"

"Yea" AJ said to him

"I'm glad you came" Punk said to her simply

"I'm not even sure why I'm here" AJ admitted

"Because you have a passion for the business and I'm not talking about cutting holes into t-shirts" Punk said to her as threw his bag on the ground "You've got a lot of talent in that extremely small body of yours and it's dying to get out"

"I'm just here to work out" AJ defended slightly "And I know you told Beth about this but could you not tell anyone else?"

"Why?" Punk asked puzzled

"Because it's embarrassing" AJ said to him

"You didn't strike me as the type to care what people thought of you" Punk said to her

"I make clothing" AJ reminded him

"You have nothing to be ashamed of" Punk said to her "Except for the quitting wrestling thing. But I promise to keep my lips sealed as long as you offer me the same courtesy"

"Are you embarrassed of me?" AJ quipped with a grin

"Not at all" Punk said to her offering her a smile "But Beth would kick my ass if she knew I was hanging around you"

"Oh so I'm not the only one with a controlling significant other" AJ smiled

"I suppose so" Punk said scratching the back of his head

"It just means she loves you" AJ said to him

"Is that what Mr. Money Mogul tells you?" Punk questioned

"Don't talk about him" AJ warned

"Ok" he said "Enough chatting let's stretch out and get going" he said waving for her to follow him to the back of the gym

Once Punk and AJ grappled a bit and worked on some moves he was more impressed than he originally thought he would be.

"So?" AJ asked as she caught her breath and was covered in sweat "What did you think?"

"Honestly?" Punk asked wiping his face with a towel "I think you're stupid" he told her bluntly causing her to frown

"What?" she asked surprised "Keep in mind I haven't trained in over a year-"

"Not what I meant" he said cutting her off coldly "You're amazing AJ. Yea you could use some more work but you're already better than all the girls we have now. You're wasting your talent"

"Thanks I think" AJ managed to get out. Punk didn't hand out complements often so this was surprising to her

"Thank you, you gave me quit the workout" Punk smirked "I want to do this again"

"This was actually a lot of fun but I have to focus on other things" AJ said to him

"You had a blast tonight and it wasn't just because you were touching my bare chest" He teased causing her to let out a snort "You need this. We can do this after shows and it will be our secret"

"I'm never going to wrestle so why are you wasting your time?" AJ asked him

"Maybe you'll change your mind" Punk said to her

"I'm pretty stubborn" AJ shot at him causing his lips to quirk into a sly smile

"I can see that but I also like hanging out with you" Punk said to her

"You don't even know me" AJ reminded him

"I think I do" Punk said to her "There's not many people I work with that I enjoy spending time with you happen to be one of the few"

"I don't think Beth would approve" AJ said to him

"I don't think your boyfriend would approve either" Punk retorted "That's why we'll keep it a secret"

"He really wouldn't approve" AJ said to him

"Are you afraid of him April?" Punk asked her arching a brow and AJ let out a laugh

"Oh no but if he finds out about this it's you I'd be worried about" AJ said to him causing him to laugh

"Trust me honey I'm not afraid of a billionaire" Punk said to her "Besides it's totally innocent"

"Right" AJ agreed

"Cool so I'll walk you back to your room and we'll discuss further plans tomorrow" Punk said opening the gym door for her

"I can make it up to my room by myself thanks" AJ said to him as they headed towards the elevator

"It's almost three in the morning, I'm walking you up to your room" Punk pointed out and AJ looked at her watch and was stunned

"Crap!" AJ said to him "I have an early meeting tomorrow"

"You'll be fine" Punk said as they got off on her floor "What room number?"

"434" AJ said to him as he followed her towards her door "Thank you for tonight I really enjoyed myself for a change"

"I could tell and honestly you're much prettier when you smile" Punk said to her as AJ tried to hide her smile

"Don't" Punk insisted lightly brushing her cheek with his knuckles

"Goodnight Phil" she said reaching up and gently kissing his cheek. She didn't give him a chance to respond because she was already feeling embarrassed and wasn't sure why she kissed his cheek. She tried to get her cardkey into the door but she was having trouble next thing she knew Punk's hand was over hers

"I got it" Punk smirked sensing her embarrassment and opened her door with ease

"Thanks" She mumbled stepping in quickly and she went to close her door Punk's hand on it stopped her

"I enjoyed myself tonight too" he told her "More than you know" she offered him a quick smile before she closed her door and placed the chain over it. What the hell was she thinking?

* * *

The next morning AJ was up early and barely slept the night before. She told herself she was too excited about this meeting but the truth was she couldn't get Punk out of her mind. It wasn't wrestling again which was great but it was the fact that she was with Punk. She was surprised by how much fun she had with him and she'd be lying if there wasn't some attraction there. She was sure kissing him at the end of the night- as innocent as it was- would throw him off and now she wasn't sure she'd see him again at all. She headed down to the restaurant in the hotel where was would meeting with all sorts of executives and checked herself out in the mirror that was in the lobby.

"You look beautiful" Christian whispered into her ear

"Christian" she gasped "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be sitting in on your meeting" Christian told her "Didn't you get my message?"

"No I had a late night" AJ admitted

"Doing what?" Christian questioned

"Doesn't matter- why are you here? How did you know about this?" AJ demanded

"I'm taking a interest in WWE's merchandising and since they're thinking of making some changes I'm going to be sitting on this meeting" Christian told her "I thought you'd be excited"

"I was excited when I was able to convince myself I was getting this push because of my talent and not my overbearing boyfriend" AJ shot at him "I can't believe you're doing this"

"Don't be like this" Christian scolded

"Do you know what people will say about me now?" AJ questioned "How dare you interfere with my life like this! This is my job!"

"Keep your voice down" Christian warned

"Have fun at the meeting" AJ said hand him her portfolio

"April don't act like a child" Christian said to her as she turned and headed towards the elevator

"I have nothing to say to you" AJ said folding her arms and as she fought back tears

"Why are you being so ungrateful?" Christian questioned following her to the elevator as she waited for one of the doors to open "Don't blow this now April. You want to work with this company and I'm just opening up some more doors for you"

"I want to earn a spot here not have it handed it to me" AJ said to him bitterly "I am so mortified right now"

"What am I supposed to tell Mrs. McMahon and the rest of the team?" Christian questioned

"You have the answers to everything I'm sure you'll figure it out" AJ said to him looking straight at the elevator doors and the doors slowly opened. When she went to step on she was Beth and Punk inside and ready to get off.

"April do not get on that elevator" Christian warned but AJ walked right inside as Punk and Beth walked off.

"Are you ok?" Punk asked AJ before he fully stepped off

"Fine" she said forcing a smile as a single tear ran down her cheek

"Let's go Punk" Beth said to him annoyed he glanced back over to AJ then stepped off the elevator as AJ quickly hit the 'close door' button so Christian couldn't get on. Punk knew she was trying to avoid him and quickly bumped into him causing him to knock over the files he was holding.

"Sorry about that" Punk said kneeling down as the doors closed and picked up Christian's files and saw they were AJ's sketches

"Do you know what floor she is on?" Christian asked Punk

"Nope" Punk lied handing him his files then walked over to Beth

"Real smooth Brooks" Beth hissed at him

"What? She was trying to get away from him" Punk defended

"You didn't have to knock his stuff over do I have to remind you how powerful this man is?" Beth questioned

"I don't care" Punk said to her honestly

"What is it with you and AJ?" Beth asked annoyed "Do you like her or something?"

"You're my girlfriend" Punk reminded her "Not AJ"

"Right" Beth bit back "You've been following her around like a lost puppy these last two weeks and it's really starting to piss me off. I know you're a flirt and I accept that about you but this is too much now."

"I'm my own man Beth" Punk told her coolly "I hang out with whoever I want to when I want to whether you approve or not"

"How would you feel if I hung around another guy?" Beth questioned but Punk didn't seem bothered by the idea at all

"Knock yourself out. I'm secure enough in this relationship to not let that bother me" Punk shot at her

"I hope you're secure enough to call a cab" she said to him "I'm taking the rental and driving to the arena alone. Maybe your new girlfriend can give you a ride" she spat before storming out of the hotel leaving Punk fuming

* * *

AJ was sitting on her unmade bed wiping away her tears when she heard a knock at the door, she knew Christian had found her and wasn't up for arguing so she ignored the knocks.

"It's me" she heard the familiar voice and quickly stood up and looked threw the peep hole and saw Punk standing outside. She quickly opened her door and let him step in

"You can't be here" AJ said to him

"Relax he went to his meeting" Punk informed her "Well he went to your meeting actually. What are you doing? You're going to blow this"

"I didn't earn this" AJ said to him "Christian set the entire thing up"

"But didn't you know this already?" Punk asked confused

"Yes but getting confirmation makes it worse" AJ said to him "Him showing up here made it worse"

"I'm sorry but you really are good" Punk said to her "Is your pride worth getting fired over?"

"Sometimes pride is worth more than a paycheck" AJ remarked

"Sounds like something I'd say" Punk noted "I don't want you to get fired"

"You don't even work with me. I do nothing for you there" AJ reminded him

"I like having you around" Punk admitted "I like hanging out with you"

"I don't deserve to be here" AJ said to him "Jay got me the job and Christian is making sure I keep it"

"You do deserve to be here April" Punk argued "But not as a low level seamstress, but as a superstar"

"It's not happening Punk" AJ said to him shaking her head "Especially now"

"Life can change in a day" Punk said to her

"Not for me Punk!" AJ yelled as she started to cry "I hate what I do I want to be in that ring so bad I can taste it"

"So stop crying and do something about it!" Punk yelled back

"I can't!" AJ yelled sitting on her bed and placing her head in her hands as she openly sobbed in front of Punk

"I didn't mean to yell at you" Punk said walking over to her and kneeling before her

"I'm not crying because you yelled at me" AJ said looking up at him "I'm crying because my life is a mess"

"It's not a mess" Punk insisted in a really sweet voice, surprising AJ even "You're in a rut and you'll get out of it"

"You don't know the half of it" AJ said to him

"Explain it to me" Punk whispered brushing her hair behind her ear "And stop crying"

"I can't" AJ said shaking her head slightly

"I hate seeing pretty girls cry" Punk said to her grabbing her chin lightly to force her to look him in the eye

"I'm on my own Phil" AJ said to him "I don't know what to do. I don't have family, I have any friends-"

"-you have me" Punk said cutting her off

"You don't even know me" AJ reminded him yet again

"I know enough" Punk said to her with a quick smile "What can I do?"

"I don't know" AJ admitted, that's when Punk tugged her chin slightly and pulled her into a kiss that started off as really sweet and tender. Neither party knew what took over them but before AJ knew it Punk was on top of her on the bed and cradled between her thighs. Punk and never felt such electricity when he kissed AJ and he couldn't stop he wanted more and clearly so did AJ.

"I'm sorry" Punk said pulling away resting his forehead against hers as his slips touched hers as he spoke "That was not helping"

"No it was nice" AJ said to him. She was pretty sure her heart would beat right out of her chest.

"Really nice" Punk agreed before he captured her lips again and they both scooted up the bed. Punk was surprised when he felt AJ reaching for his belt buckle but didn't even consider pushing her away, instead he tugged at her white t-shirt and pulled it up and over hear head. "We need to stop right now or I'm not going to be able to"

"I don't want to stop" AJ said against his lips

"I was hoping you would say that" Punk said as he lowered his mouth to her neck and started kissing down her neck then her cleavage. AJ ran her hands threw his messy hair he softly bit over her heart causing her to let out a needy moan

"Oh god" she moaned

"Not exactly" he whispered against her skin causing her to crack a smile

"April!" a voice boomed outside her hotel door causing both Punk and AJ to stop in their tracks.

"It's Christian" AJ whispered to Punk pushing him off of he quickly and she jumped off the bed "Here" she said passing him his belt that was on the floor and he quickly put it on

"April" Punk hissed tossing her the t-shirt he had just practically torn off of her

"Thanks" she muttered "You should hide" she said to him and he gave her an odd look

"I'm not hiding" Punk said to her "We're not teenagers"

"I already have a key April and I am giving you the courtesy of opening this door before I do" Christian said from outside the door

"Please" she pleaded slightly "It will make things ten times worse for me"

"Where would you like me to hide?" Punk asked as AJ opened the closet door. He let out a laugh and headed inside the closet

"I'm coming in April" Christian said and a second later the door was open…..


	4. Control

**A/N: Please note before reading any further the rating has bumped up to 'M'. Enjoy and thanks for all the reviews!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Control**

* * *

As soon as AJ pulled down her top Christian stepped into the hotel room. She had to remember that Punk was tucked away in the bathroom.

"Want to explain to me what this is all about?" Christian questioned coolly as he closed her door

"How did you get a key to my room?" AJ asked

"Please April" Christian sighed "Let's not play twenty silly questions I don't have the time for this. I want an explanation"

"I thought I was pretty clear" AJ shot at him "You're interfering with my work- again! You promised you wouldn't"

"I'm sorry but I'm interfering in a good way" Christian assured her "I know how much this all means to you. You love it here and I want you to be treated better"

"I'm treated fine" AJ told him

"You don't seem happy though" Christian frowned "I want you happy, that's all I ever want for you"

"I'm not happy because I want to be in the ring not behind the scenes" AJ argued back as Christian just frowned

"We've discussed this April" he sighed taking a seat in a chair near her bed

"I want to wrestle" she said walking over to him and kneeling in front of him forcing him to look at her "I want you to support me with that"

"April I'm not ok with that" Christian said sadly "It's a deal breaker for us and you know this. I want have you paraded around on TV barely dressed getting beat up"

"It's so much more than that" AJ insisted dramatically "It's acting!"

"It's not for you" Christian said firmly "I'm sorry"

"Don't be sorry just support me" AJ said sadly "I know you love me and want me happy but if you really, really want me to be happy you'll just step aside and let me live my dream"

"I can't step aside" Christian said to her shaking his head "I won't have other men watching you like that, you're with me and that's the end of this discussion"

"Then maybe we shouldn't be together" AJ said standing up and looking down at him

"April you're free to do whatever you want" Christian said to her "Even though you're overreacting"

"I don't think I am" AJ said folding her arms as she found her courage buried deep inside

"April even if you leave you will not be wrestling in any promotion and I'm not just talking about WWE, TNA, Ring Of Honor- you won't even get a job in Japan and I'll see to it and it's not because I'm punishing you or trying to hurt you I'm just trying to look out for your best interest"

"I can look out for myself" AJ pouted slightly

"April please don't make that face" he said standing up "Now if you're done breaking up with me for the hundredth time and over your childish tantrum let's go have lunch so I can fill you in on your meeting"

"I'm not hungry and I don't want to eat with you" AJ shot at him

"Fine April" Christian sighed "I'll see you at the arena"

"Why?" AJ asked him

"I have a few more things to go over with Mr. McMahon and I will see you there and don't forget to apologize to Ms. McMahon about flaking on her. I told her you had a stomach bug" Christian informed her in a professional tone "Give me a kiss" he demanded in a soft voice and she reluctantly obliged "I love you" he told her as he walked towards the door, he shut her a glance when she didn't respond

"I love you too" she barely whispered and he smiled warmly at her

"I'll be done in an hour and then we'll meet in the lobby. My car will take us over" Christian informed her then walked out of her room

"Ugh" AJ groaned plopping on the bed and that's when the bathroom door opened again and she had completely forgotten Punk was inside

"All clear?" Punk mocked looking around

"Yes sorry" AJ said to him as he walked back over to him "I'm sorry about that and before"

"I'm not" Punk grinned "But we did get a bit out of hand"

"I agree" AJ said to him "We're with other people"

"Yea" Punk said to her taking a seat in the chair that Christian was previously sitting in "So that's why you won't get back into the ring huh?"

"Something like that" AJ muttered almost embarrassed

"Why are you with him?" Punk asked her catching her by surprise "I mean my first thought would have been you're with him for the money but clearly you don't utilize it at all"

"I love him" AJ told him bluntly "He is pretty controlling but he really does want what's best for me"

"If you want to wrestle then you should" Punk told her firmly "And if he loved you he'd support you"

"He does love me" AJ said to him "More than you could even imagine"

"I'm sure he does" Punk agreed "Doesn't mean he can dictate your life"

"He's just looking out for me it's nice to have that in my life" AJ said to him

"Ten minutes ago you told me you had no one" Punk reminded her

"I did say that, didn't I?" AJ asked more herself "I don't know why I said that"

"Where's your family April?" Punk asked

"I can't get into this Phil" AJ said to him "They live in Puerto Rico though"

"So you're completely dependent on Christian" Punk said to her

"I have my own apartment, I pay my own rent" AJ informed him almost bitterly

"Ok" Punk said standing up "I have to get going. I'll see you around"

"You don't want to train me anymore?" she asked before he stepped out the door

"I want to but I don't want it to go to waste" he admitted "I'm sure I'll run into you again this week- oh and about earlier-"

"My lips are sealed" AJ assured him before he could even ask. He didn't smile he just nodded then walked out of her door.

* * *

Once AJ arrived to Raw with Christian in tow she couldn't stand the fact that everyone eyed her. Christian was a big deal and everyone knew it and Christian was now letting be known she was with him even though everyone knew it. She wanted wrestling to be her one place where she wasn't just 'Christian Scott's girlfriend' but now that was washed away especially with him working with Vince now.

"April are you going to join me in my meeting?" Christian questioned

"Nope" AJ said

"Please curb this attitude" Christian whispered into her ear as she set up her station for the night "I can't stand it when you're mad at me"

"I have feelings Christian" AJ argued back in a low voice "I can't just make them disappear sorry"

"Alright" Christian said smiling at her then leaned down and kissed her deeply "I'll see you in a little while"

"AJ have you seen Punk?" Beth asked before Christian could walk away

"No not since earlier" AJ told Beth

"Why would April know where he is?" Christian asked Beth who didn't even realize Christian was there

"They're friends" Beth said with a forced smile "We had a little tiff earlier and I thought maybe he spoke to her about it" she defended in a cheery tone

"I haven't seen him sorry" AJ said in a low voice as Christian eyed Beth strangely

"I'll try his locker room again but if you see him could you tell him I'm looking for him?" she asked AJ as nicely as possible

"Sure thing" AJ said with a forced smile as Beth practically ran off

"Who is Punk?" Christian questioned

"Beth's boyfriend" AJ reminded him "He's the champion you met him the other night he has a lot of tattoos"

"He was on the elevator earlier" Christian said to her and she nodded "Right. I didn't realize you two were friends"

"I have a lot of friends back here" AJ defended "Punk isn't the only one and besides he's barely a friend I've only just started talking to him recently"

"Ok" Christian said putting on a smile "I'll see you shortly"

* * *

AJ had just finished dropping off Dolph's shirt when she saw Punk heading down the hall. She suddenly had the urge to turn and run in the other direction but knew she couldn't bail now.

"Hello" AJ said politely to Punk who offered a small smile

"April" he said back "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes thank you" she said coolly "Beth was looking for you"

"Yea I heard" Punk smirked "She's a little mad at me"

"I'm sorry" AJ frowned

"It's not your fault" Punk assured her "I'll catch up with her later"

"Ok" AJ said to him

"April" Christian said strolling over towards her and Punk and immediately her heart was in her throat and Punk could sense how nervous she was but he clearly wasn't. "And Phil, right?" he asked extending his hand to Punk who reluctantly shook his hand

"Punk" he corrected. AJ was now more nervous then before and decided the two of them being together wasn't a great idea

"You want to fill me in on that meeting?" AJ asked Christian

"I didn't mean to interrupt the two of you" Christian smiled "Please continue" he insisted but not moving, Punk let out a laugh

"I think we were finished" Punk said to him

"Are you sure?" Christian challenged

"Yup he's sure" AJ said before Punk could retort

"Anything I have to say to April is my business and not yours anyway" Punk shot at him still in a friendly voice

"April is my business" Christian said matching Punk's friendly tone

"She's not a piece of property you own" Punk said back to him

"Suddenly you're an expert on my relationship?" Christian questioned

"This is enough" AJ said cutting into their mild argument "Stop it both of you" she warned the two who were still eyeing each other "I think you two would actually get along really well if you gave each other the chance"

"You're right April" Christian said to her "How about you and your lovely girlfriend join April and I for dinner tonight?"

"They can't" AJ said cutting in

"We can" Punk said to AJ then looked at Christian "We would be honored to join the infamous Christian Scott for dinner"

"Great" Christian said to him "There's a steakhouse two blocks over"

"I'm sure they'll be closed by the time we get out" Punk said to him

"Not for me they won't" Christian smiled "They're expecting me I'll just call and tell them to add two more to the table"

"Great" Punk remarked with half a grin

"I'll see you tonight Mr. Brooks" Christian said grabbing AJ's hand and leading her away

"How do you know his last name?" AJ asked Christian

"April I'm investing in this company I have to a learn a thing or two about the major players" Christian smiled brushing it off

"You didn't even know who he was an hour ago" AJ reminded him

"I knew his name not his face, stop worrying" Christian said with a warm smile "And don't worry I won't embarrass myself in front of your friends"

* * *

Later that night the four arrived at the restaurant at the same time. Punk watched as Christian's driver opened the backseat door and stood by as Christian stepped out then helped AJ out of the SUV.

"They look closed" Beth noted holding onto Punk's hand

"They're expecting us" Christian smiled as he reached the door and sure enough the door swung open

"Mr. Scott welcome" a man smiled shaking his hand "And you must the lovely Miss. Mendez" he said grabbing AJ's hand lightly kissing it

"This is Phil and Beth" Christian said introducing them as someone else took his jacket

"Lovely to meet you all" the man said anxiously with a huge goofy smile. Punk couldn't help but roll his eyes "Please follow me your table is all ready for you" he said as he escorted them into a private room

"Thank you for inviting us Mr. Scott" Beth said to him but he waved it off

"Please call me Christian" he insisted. "And any friend of April's is a friend of mine. I'm so glad you pointed it out to me"

"Your friendship with April?" Punk asked Beth a smirk

"No she pointed out your friendship with her" Christian told him calmly "I just want to get to know her friends better"

"I was thinking the same thing about you actually" Punk said back with an arrogant smile

"Can I take your drink order?" a waitress questioned

"We need a bottle of your best Wine" Christian said to her "Beth do you have a preference?"

"White wine please" She said

"Wonderful choice" Christian agreed "You look more like a beer man" he said to Punk

"I don't drink" Punk remarked smugly "I don't like to poison my body"

"April says the same thing" Christian said smiling over towards AJ

"We do have a lot in common" Punk agreed fondly "I'll just have water"

"Same" AJ said to the waitress who then walked away

"So tell me Phillip where are you from?" Christian questioned

"Chicago" Punk told him "Yourself?" and Christian just smiled. He wasn't use to someone questioning him

"Los Angeles" Christian told him

"And what kind of business are you in exactly?" Punk challenged throwing him off

"I have my hands in a bit of everything" Christian told him coolly "Real-estate is my main focus"

"So why the sudden interest in professional wrestling?" Punk asked him bluntly

"Punk" Beth hissed

"No it's alright" Christian smiled "WWE is very profitable and I'm in the business of making money"

"Are you all set to order?" the waitress questioned

"Yes I am going to have the porter house and April is going to have the salmon" Christian informed her politely handing over his menu

"Good choices" she smiled

"I'm going to have the house salad" Punk remarked handing over his menu

"I'll have the salmon" Beth smiled

"Just a salad?" Christian asked

"I'm on a strict diet" Punk said to her "Do you always order for April?"

"I always get the salmon" AJ defended

"I just know her very well" Christian said to her

"Maybe she wanted a change" Punk argued in a light tone

"Or maybe she didn't" Beth scolded Punk

"Let's change the subject" AJ interjected quickly

The rest of the dinner was filled with awkward silence and mild bickering from Christian and Punk and once the bill came both argued who was going to pay it. Punk threw cash down on the table enough to cover for himself and Beth. They all exchanged cordial goodbyes then headed off to the hotel.

* * *

It was around one in the morning and AJ headed outside the hotel in a track outfit and placed her headphones over her ears.

"What are you doing?" Punk asked removing his own headphones

"I could ask you the same thing" AJ said to him

"I'm going for a run" Punk said to her "Does your boyfriend know that you're going to run around a strange city by yourself after midnight?"

"He's sleeping" AJ said to him "I need a breather, running clears my mind"

"Use a treadmill" Punk told her "It's late"

"The gym is closed" AJ said to him coldly "Don't be sexist either. If it's safe enough for you to go for a run then it's safe enough for me. You're starting to sound like Christian"

"This is something I would actually agree with him on" Punk said to her "Seriously go back to your boyfriend and take a run in the morning" AJ just rolled her eyes and turned the music up on her ipod and took off on her run in the dark night

"April!" Punk shouted watching her run off and decided to run after her. He was surprised by how fast she could run and headed towards the nearest park and that's when Punk finally caught up to her and grabbed her by the elbow.

"What the hell are you doing!" AJ shouted pulling her headphones off

"You're not going to run threw a park at this time" Punk told her "Do you have a death wish?"

"I need some space!" AJ yelled pulling away "This is how I get it"

"I'm not trying to smother you April I'm trying to make sure your picture doesn't end up on the ten o'clock news" Punk argued back annoyed

"Are you mad at me?" AJ asked catching him off guard "I'm sorry about earlier-"

"I imitated it" Punk reminded her "And I'm not mad about it. I'm confused"

"Why?" AJ asked

"Aren't you?" Punk questioned

"A little" AJ agreed

"The only thing I'm mad about is getting interrupted" Punk admitted

"It wasn't right" AJ said to him "We agreed"

"I know" Punk said taking a step closer to her "But it felt so good" he was now a breath away from her

"Phil" AJ sighed knowing where this was leading

"Really good" he whispered against her lips before pulling her into a gentle kiss, one that AJ was used to. With Christian everything was rough and rushed but Punk was gently and selfless with his kisses. It took AJ a few moments before she responded to the kiss and Punk pushed her back against the nearest the tree

"Oh" she moaned as Punk started to kiss down her neckline "We can't do this here" she whispered into his ear

"We can't do this at all" Punk muttered against her skin as his free hand wandered underneath the waistband of her pants and after thirty seconds AJ gasped against his grasp and her head hit against the tree- hard as she felt her senses being consumed by Punk and his hand.

"Oh please" she muttered against him as he moved his mouth back against hers. She was now moving her hips in synch with Punk's movements

"Does he make you feel this good? Is he this selfless?" Punk asked in ear

"No" AJ said shaking her head as her eyes rolled to the back of her head "Don't stop" she whispered holding onto his biceps

"You love this" he smiled against her cheek enjoying how much AJ was enjoying him and his touch

"I do" she said gasping

"You can do better than him" he said to her and after a few more minutes AJ had reached her peak and he pulled away from her

"Did you mean you?" AJ asked as she straightened herself up a bit

"What?" Punk asked looking over to her

"When you said I could do better than him" AJ clarified

"No" Punk laughed "You can do a hell of a lot better than me as well. You deserve someone who won't try to control you or take advantage of you against a tree in a park in the middle of the night"

"I liked it" AJ said to him and he just offered her a smile

"You won't tomorrow when you wake up next to your master" Punk said to her then shook his head "I'm sorry I meant boyfriend"

"I should go" AJ said to him realizing that Christian might be looking for her

"I'll walk back with you" Punk said to her

"That's ok" AJ said to him stepping away "We should try to keep our distance"

"Yea" Punk agreed "You do know I'm just going to follow you right?"

"Yea but I won't look back" AJ said to him as Punk just frowned

"Goodnight Phil"

"Night April" Punk said as he watched her turn and exit the park and then slowly followed her back but made sure to keep his distance.

* * *

Once Punk entered his hotel room Beth woke up quickly.

"Where have you been?" Beth asked

"I went for a run" Punk informed her as he kicked his shoes off and walked over to the bed "Are you still mad at me?"

"Yes" Beth remarked bitterly then smiled "No. But if I find you sniffing around little AJ one more time there's going to be a big problem"

"Noted" he said pulling his shirt off and crawling on top of her

"Your heart is racing" Beth noted placing her hand over his bare chest "Are you ok?"

"Yea" he said pulling her into a heated kiss to hush her and slowly tried to push the imaged of AJ out of his head.

* * *

Once AJ entered her hotel room she quickly changed and crawled into her bed. She scooted all the way to the end of the bed to keep herself as far away from Christian as possible but he sensed her enter the bed and threw his arm over her and pulled her close to his chest. AJ couldn't hold back the tears and quietly cried herself to sleep.


	5. Was It Good For You?

**Chapter 5: Was It Good For You?**

* * *

When AJ woke up the next morning she knew she had to get up early and had to head over to Smakdown. It was only forty minutes away so it shouldn't take too much time for her. She wanted to get out of bed quietly and sneak off before Christian woke up but he was long up.

"Hi" Christian smiled lying next to her

"How long have you been up?" AJ asked him

"A few hours, I like watching you sleep" Christian grinned kissing her cheek then moved down her neck but she quickly jumped out of the bed "What's wrong April?"

"I'm just not in the mood" AJ told him quickly looking around for her clothes. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt guilty for letting Punk touch her or she knew Christian touching wouldn't compare to Punk.

"Are you ok?" Christian asked alarmed with a frown on his face

"I just have a lot to do" AJ said to him "I'm going to take a shower and head out to the next City"

"I have a flight in two hours, mind if I join you in the shower?" Christian asked with a grin

"How about you just go first" AJ said with a smile "I'll go down to the gym"

"Ok April" Christian said unsurely as AJ rushed out the door

* * *

AJ headed down to the gym and was annoyed when all the treadmills were taken, she really didn't get a chance to actually run last night and wanted to make up for it.

"Hey AJ" Beth said waving of her, AJ hadn't even noticed Beth was here and she was with Eve Torres and Natalya.

"Hi Beth" AJ smiled politely

"I was just telling the girls about the amazing dinner last night" Beth said to her

"Yea it was nice" AJ said to her "I'm glad you had a good time"

"We were going to have brunch why don't you join us?" Even suggested politely

"You've been here long enough it will be nice to get to know you a bit" Nattie said with a genuine smile

"That's nice but I have a lot to do" AJ told them

"Don't be silly" Eve said brushing it off "We'll be an hour"

"Yea besides Beth told us how you used to wrestle and would love to delve more into that" Nattie said to her with a smirk. Of course this was Beth getting her friends to gang up on her "I'm sure you have some great stories we could really use the wisdom"

"Nattie" Eve scolded

"I can really use some food, Punk kept me active all night last night" Beth chimed in smugly and AJ felt her stomach knot "I mean he was like an animal"

"As appealing as that all sounds I'm going to pass" AJ said to them

"Yea I bet your boyfriend already has big plans, is he going to fly you out to Paris for dinner?" Beth questioned

"Come on" Eve groaned

"Look the gym here is pretty much reserved for serious athletes" Nattie told AJ "Not wannabes who couldn't hack it" AJ just turned around and walked out of the gym

"AJ wait!" Eve shouted jogging up to her

"What?" AJ asked a bit harshly

"They're bitches ignore them" Eve said to her

"They're your friends, what does that say about you?" AJ shot back causing Eve to smirk

"I'm friends with Punk so I play nice with his girlfriend and her friends that's all" Even defended "But I really wouldn't take it personally because it seems as if Beth is a little jealous of your friendship with her boyfriend"

"Phil and I are barely acquaintances" AJ defended quietly

"You call him Phil?" Even laughed "He doesn't let anyone call him that"

"He asked me to" AJ shrugged and Eve smiled

"Ok" Eve said to her "How about I blow off the other two and you and I grab something to eat?"

"I don't think so" AJ said to her

"Please" Eve slightly begged "I think you could use a friend and I know I could"

"Ok" AJ said giving in. Eve had always been nice to her, so why not?

"Great" Eve grinned "I'll meet you in the hotel restaurant in twenty minutes I just have to get changed."

"Sure" AJ still wasn't sure this was a good idea but she had nothing to lose.

* * *

As Eve stepped off the elevator and reached for her door but turned when the door behind her opened.

"How did it go?" Punk asked

"I'm going to have lunch with her" Eve told him "She seems sweet and Beth is really giving her a hard time and has enlisted Nattie"

"She's a bitch" Punk said unsurprisingly

"That's your girlfriend you're talking about" she reminded him "So what is with your obsession with young April?"

"There isn't an obsession I just feel like she could use a friend and you are the best kind of friend she could get, I know that from personal experience" Punk replied smoothly

"Right" Eve laughed "Why can't you be her friend?"

"It just won't work out for us" Punk said to her nervously as she narrowed her eyes

"You slept with her!" Eve accused with a laugh "You dog!"

"I didn't have sex with her" Punk told her honestly and a low voice "But being alone with her has proven to be difficult"

"And hard?" Eve smirked arching a brow

"For me at least" Punk retorted honestly "We had a run in last night after dinner in the park"

"What?" Eve asked astonished "What kind of run in?"

"I don't want to get into details" Punk said to her

"You do realize that this man she is with is pretty powerful, right?" Eve questioned

"He's the least of my worries" Punk said waving off her fear "I just think she needs someone she can trust and confide in"

"You do know if she confides in me I'm not going to report back to you right?" Eve asked

"She also needs someone to push her in the right direction" Punk said to her "Someone who isn't me"

"If she wanted to wrestle she would" Eve argued with a groan

"Christian won't let her" Punk told her "Talk to her you're so good at that"

"I notice she calls you Phil" Eve said to him "You like her, huh?"

"I don't even really know her" Punk defended

"But you're running around trying to get her friends and banging her in parks at night" Eve shot at him

"We didn't have sex" Punk reminded her

"Do you want to?" Eve asked

"I will admit she's attractive" Punk said to her and Eve smiled lightly

"Not hot? She's attractive? How very gentleman of you" Eve noted "If you like her-"

"As a friend. We have a lot in common and I hate that she's wasting her talent because of her pushy boyfriend" Punk said to her "Just get to know her I know you'll like her"

"Well if you do I'm sure I will" Eve said to her "I'm not sure how Beth will feel about me being friendly with her"

"Who cares" Punk shrugged "Just make sure she's happy"

"Right" Eve said opening her door

"Eve" he said stopping her and she turned to him "Thank you, I owe you one"

"We're even" Eve said with a wink then headed into her room

* * *

AJ headed back to her room to change quickly and caught Christian stepping out of the shower in just a towel.

"Finished to quickly?" Christian questioned

"The gym was packed I'm just going to grab some lunch with one of the girls" AJ said kicking off her workout sneakers

"You don't want to eat with me but you'll eat with coworkers?" he asked

"I want to make new friends" AJ said to him and he just nodded

"Are you going to be eating in a restaurant or a park?" Christian questioned surprising AJ

"What?" she asked nervously

"I know you went out for a run last night and you ended up in a park. Unnecessary risks are stupid April" Christian scolded lightly "If you had been by yourself I would have had Jack bring you back"

"Jack was there?" AJ asked biting on her lower lip

"He followed you of course" Christian chuckled "Thank goodness Phil was with you to keep you safe"

"Christian" AJ started but he just smiled

"It's fine" Christian said to her "You're allowed to have friends who are men I just wish you'd have better taste. Phil seems like a short-tempered asshole"

"He's not that bad" AJ said to him. She guessed Jack missed the show she and Phil put on deeper in the park or Christian knew and he was keeping it to himself. She really wasn't sure and honestly didn't want to find out.

"Right" Christian grinned as he removed his towel "How about you work out some of that frustration you couldn't let out at the gym on me right now?" he suggested and she still wasn't in the mood and didn't respond "We could always move this to the park" he suggested causing her to hitch a breath. AJ walked over to him and pulled her top over her head before she reached him "You are very beautiful April" he said cupping her cheek and pulling her into a kiss "And you are mine" he reminded her as he pulled away and looked her in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face towards hers as he lifted her and deposited her onto the bed "Say it April" he whispered as he unclasped her bra

"Say what?" she asked in a whisper a moment after she asked she felt him bite over pulse point- hard. She was sure it would bleed

"You know what I want to hear" Christian growled

"Ouch" she said as he ran his hands roughly over her bare chest

"Say it April" he demanded against her neck

"I'm yours" she said quickly

"That's right" Christian grinned and his grip loosened

* * *

When AJ arrived to Smackdown she was feeling better and actually really enjoyed Eve's company. They chatted about work and Eve spent most of the lunch talking up the Gracie name and invited AJ to attend a class with her.

"I had a lot of fun thank you" AJ said to her "You are much nicer than the other girls"

"They're just jealous" Eve whispered to her with a smile "But I had a good time to and if you ever need a traveling buddy or an ear to vent to please call me" she said hanging AJ over her phone number "And let's try to do lunch again next week"

"That would be nice" AJ agreed taking the card. "So you're friends with Phil right?"

"Yes we're actually great friends" Eve told her "Well Punk is pretty close to my boyfriend and he looks out for me on the road. He's my road brother so to speak" she said with a giggle

"So he talks to you, huh?" AJ asked and Eve gave her a sympathetic smile

"Yes he does" Eve said in a knowing voice

"He told you about…." AJ trailed off

"Yes and believe me I'm not judging I swear" Eve said quickly

"I could use some advice about it actually" AJ said surprising Eve

"Ok" Eve said nodding for AJ to follow her into a private office "What's wrong AJ?"

"I think Christian- my boyfriend- knows about what I did last night" AJ told her

"How?" Eve asked feeling concern for Punk

"He has a security team and one of the guards followed me last night" AJ told her "But he didn't say for sure he just knew I went on a run with Phil"

"Well if he knew why wouldn't he say something?" Eve questioned

"That's what I'm afraid of" AJ admitted

"You should tell Punk" Eve said to her

"That's what I was going to ask you" AJ said to her

"I mean if this does get out it could really hurt his relationship with Beth as well" Eve said to her "Not that I'd lose any sleep over that relationship not making it" she added with a smirk

"What if he gets mad at me?" AJ asked him "He's been really good to me"

"He won't be mad at you" Eve said brushing it off

"Christian could confront him" AJ said to her and Eve let out a laugh

"Trust me Punk would welcome it" Eve assured her

"How am I supposed to approach Punk now?" AJ asked

"I can help with that" Eve smiled pulling out her phone and sending a text

"I just don't want Beth or anyone else from Christian's team seeing" AJ clarified

"It's fine" Eve laughed placing her phone in her bag. "Wait here, I'll see you later" she said leaving AJ in the office.

* * *

AJ was sitting on a folding chair playing with her thumbs when the door opened and Punk walked in. He frowned upon seeing AJ who stood up quickly.

"Eve here?" he asked her "She sent me a message to meet her here"

"It was for me" AJ admitted as Punk closed the door and nodded

"Are you ok?" he asked her

"I have to tell you something" AJ said to him nervously

"Ok" Punk said placing his hands in his pockets, the only place he knew his hands would be safe and out of reach of AJ. He still didn't trust himself completely

"Christian had someone following me last night" AJ told him "He didn't say for sure I he saw what we did but he knows I was with you"

"So?" Punk asked "It was dark in the park April"

"You don't get it" AJ said shaking her head as she paced back and forth "He doesn't like that I'm friends with you"

"What do you care what he thinks?" Punk asked her

"It's not me I'm worried about" AJ said looking over to him

"I hope it's not me" Punk smirked placing his hand on his chest "I can take care of myself"

"You don't know him" AJ insisted as Punk frowned and took a step closer to her

"Does he hurt you April?" Punk asked in a low voice

"No" AJ said brushing it off "But he does have this pull and power of me"

"Only because you let him" Punk frowned as he looked her directly in the eyes

"We should talk about what happened last night" AJ said to him

"I don't think that's a good idea" Punk smirked stepping away from her "Things got of hand and that happens sometimes. And it won't happen again" AJ felt a pang of disappointment.

"Right" AJ said with a nod in agreement "Well you should probably go I know you had a late night and I should get to work"

"So did you" Punk smirked

"No Beth told me" AJ said to her then immediately regretted opening her mouth because she could see the scowl on his face

"Told you what?" Punk asked

"Nothing she was just running her mouth" AJ said brushing it off and headed towards the door but Punk lightly grabbed her elbow to stop her

"What did she say?" Punk asked slowly

"Just that you two were at it all night" AJ said simply "You were very animal like that"

"Oh really?" Punk asked with a bitter laugh "I didn't realize Beth talked about my business so freely"

"It's her business too" AJ pointed out

"Actually last night had nothing to do with her" Punk told AJ who looked confused "At all as a matter of fact" clearly AJ had left Punk frustrated but he was the one that pulled away so she didn't feel too bad about it, and now AJ couldn't hide her blush "I'm guessing by your reaction you enjoyed last night"

"I can't complain" AJ said to him quietly "I'm sure you could though"

"Nope" Punk said to her simply "I don't have any regrets in life. I live in the moment"

"Right" AJ said feeling the strange pull towards Punk again "I'll see you next week I guess" she said opening the door and leaving Punk inside

* * *

Punk headed straight to the Diva's locker room and banged on the door.

"Punk" Beth said opening the door then stepped outside to talk to him "What's going on?"

"Why are you broadcasting our sex life to the entire locker room?" Punk demanded. Beth could tell by how red his face was that he was angry

"What do you even care?" Beth asked annoyed "Like you don't brag to your buddies about how good you get it"

"There's not much to brag about believe me" Punk shot at her causing her to narrow her eyes at him

"What the hell has gotten into you these last few weeks?" Beth demanded

"This isn't about me" Punk hissed "It's about you! You know I like to keep my private life private I don't appreciate you bragging about our sex life to the other girls"

"Why are you acting like such a girl?" Beth asked

"Yea that's what this is about" Punk snorted "You know what have fun bragging about your none-existent sex life because we're done"

"You've been looking for an excuse to get out of this relationship for weeks now!" Beth shouted as he walked away "I know what's going! I know what this is about! It's about the mousy looking child! I hope AJ-" before she could finish she felt Punk grip her arm tightly and tug her close to him

"It's not about her" Punk seethed "And don't mention her again. This is about you and your big mouth don't blame her for your mistakes"

"I hope to hell she's worth it" Beth said jerking her arm out of his grasp "And by the way if you didn't think I picked up your feminine aroma last night"

"What are you talking about?" Punk asked annoyed

"Little AJ uses this sickeningly disgusting bubblegum perfume" Beth said scrunching her nose "You smelt like you bathed in it after your run. Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"Leave her alone" Punk warned

"I will but the question is can you?" Beth asked "If you think she's going to pick you over her hot billionaire boyfriend you're as dumb as you think I am. You have nothing to offer her"

"It's not about her" Punk repeated trying to hide the fact that Beth's word stung slightly "Have a good life" he spat then headed down the hall


	6. Just Tonight

**Chapter 6: Just Tonight**

* * *

Punk arrived back home to Chicago and he was feeling irritable. Part of him was still annoyed with Beth and another part of him couldn't stop think about AJ. Her sweet moans, her smell, and the way her body fit against his body perfectly.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Colt Cabana asked stepping out of the kitchen

"Nothing" Punk shrugged "Beth and I broke up" he told him but Colt just smiled

"Good" Colt said seriously "I hated her"

"Nice" Punk remarked sarcastically

"Seriously man" Colt said to her "She was a pain in your ass"

"Yea she still is" Punk muttered "Do you remember that girl April Jay told us about?"

"Yea" Colt said to him "You told me you figured out who she was"

"I worked out with her a little and she was great" Punk told him

"Are you sleeping with her?" Colt asked as Punk rolled his eyes

"Why would you even ask me that?" Punk asked annoyed

"You said you broke up with Beth and the next topic you bring up is April" Colt said to him "So honestly did you?"

"She has a boyfriend" Punk informed him

"That's not what I asked" Colt smirked

"Close" Punk admitted

"How close?" Colt asked

"Very, very close" Punk said to him

"Is her boyfriend big?" Colt asked with a laugh "Is he going to beat you up?"

"Do you know Christian Scott?" Punk asked and Colt laughed

"Never heard of him until last week when I read he was thinking of investing in WWE" Colt told him "Do not even tell me that's her boyfriend" Punk just smirked "Crap. This guy could be your boss one day"

"Vince would never give him that much power" Punk scoffed

"He's pretty powerful" Colt told him

"I had dinner with him and April the other night" Punk told him

"And how did that go?" Colt asked

"He's a dick" Punk told him bluntly

"He probably sensed you were in his girlfriends pants" Colt said to him

"That wasn't until after dinner" Punk said to him as Colt rolled his eyes

"Jesus" Colt muttered "Do you always have to have what you know you shouldn't?"

"I want her to wrestle" Punk said to him "And he doesn't. The fooling around we did was a mistake"

"So leave her alone" Colt told him "If she wants to wrestle she will"

"I heard him telling her no" Punk said to him "And he told her she wouldn't be wrestling in any promotion and he meant it"

"I doubt he has that much power" Colt scoffed

"You'd be surprised" Punk muttered "She's a really good girl"

"Hot?" Colt asked

"Yea" Punk groaned running his hands over his face "She has the most amazing body but she's also a nerd. She's into comics and toys just like me"

"Crap" Colt muttered shaking his head "Is she going to be worth going head to head with one of the most powerful business men in the world?"

"He's the least of my problems" Punk told him "If I want her I'll be with her" he told him smugly "I just don't know-" before he could finish his doorbell rang. Punk stood up and opened his door and was surprised to see Christian Scott standing outside

"Hello Phil" Christian smiled

"How did you know I lived here?" Punk asked

"I know a lot about you" Christian smirked "May I?" he asked gesturing to come into the house and Punk stepped aside and let Christian in and spotted Colt Cabana sitting on the couch "Colt Cabana" Christian smiled shaking his hand

"This is Christian Scott" Punk said to Colt who looked surprised

"I looked into some of your work with Phil" Christian told Colt fondly "You're quit the performer"

"Thanks" Colt said nervously

"What can I do for you Christian?" Punk asked folding his arms

"I came to talk to you about April actually" Christian said to him and part of Punk was expecting this "She's getting the itch to get back in the ring and I noticed it started up once she started hanging around you"

"April is very talented and she should be in the ring. I'd love to help her" Punk told him coolly with a cocky grin

"I bet" Christian said with a stone face "Work out with her a bit? Go running perhaps?"

"Perhaps" Punk shrugged

"April isn't going to be wrestling" Christian informed Punk "I'd appreciate it if you stopped encouraging her"

"That's not going to happen" Punk told him "April has the potential to be the best and you should be supporting her and not holding her back"

"If you keep this up I'll pull April from the WWE all together" Christian told him as Punk just narrowed his eyes at the man "She'd be so very unhappy if that happened and you'd be to blame"

"Is that it?" Punk asked not wanting to continue this argument

"Yea I think so" Christian said to him "So we have an understanding?"

"Sure" Punk remarked bitterly "But I'm pretty stubborn"

"Yes I've heard" Christian said to him "Your sisters are very beautiful by the way"

"Excuse me?" Punk asked slightly alarmed

"I googled you" Christian laughed "Maybe next time April and I are in town we could have dinner with your entire family"

"Don't come back here" Punk said opening his door

"Oh and as far as last night goes" Christian whispered so Colt couldn't hear "Next time you put your hands on April I'll see to it that they are broken. It would be pretty hard to wrestle, don't you think?"

"Get out" Punk said nodding his head towards the door seemingly unbothered by the threat

"It was nice seeing you again Phil hopefully this will be the last time" Christian added before he stepped out the door

"Woah" Colt said to him shaking his head

* * *

The following Sunday night AJ was in her hotel room by herself cutting up some of her own t-shirts when someone knocked at her door. She stood up and swung the door and was taken back to see Punk standing there.

"Phil-" she started but he just walked in and waited for her to close the door

"Are you alone?" Punk asked

"Yea" she said unsurely "Are you ok?"

"Your boyfriend stopped by my place last week" Punk informed her

"In Chicago?" AJ asked

"Yea and he knows by the way" Punk said to her

"I'm sorry" she said to him quickly

"Me too" Punk said to her "He threatened my family"

"What?" AJ asked stunned

"He made a comment about my sisters" Punk told her "I can deal with him being pissed at me but not my sisters"

"He wouldn't do that" AJ said to him

"Oh get out of your bubble AJ" Punk spat. She was surprised to hear him call her 'AJ' rather than 'April'. "He's a bully and you know it"

"It doesn't sound like him" AJ defended lightly

"He doesn't want me to train you or push you into the ring" Punk said to her

"I'll talk to him" AJ said to him "I'm sure you just misunderstood"

"I'm not an idiot AJ" he seethed "I don't think he's powerful enough to physical hurt my sisters but they're in school and are looking into great jobs and internships and I can't risk them"

"I understand" she said sadly

"Why are you still with him?" Punk asked "I mean you have to know you're better than this. And if you were to leave him you can be a wrestler and be on top!"

"He won't let that happen!" AJ yelled back "He knows I was with you in some capacity and he didn't even mention it to me! He doesn't seem to even care!"

"He sees you as a piece of property" Punk said to her

"He won't let me go" AJ said to him "I've broken up with him a hundred times he just comes back like nothing has ever happened"

"Maybe you like it" Punk remarked bitterly "Maybe you like being controlled"

"No" AJ said shaking her head

"Oh please April" Punk smirked "You like the power he has over you or you would have walked away a long time ago"

"It's not like that" AJ defended "It's complicated"

"How?" Punk mocked "Why are you with him!" he yelled

"Don't" AJ pleaded lightly

"Does he hit you?" Punk asked

"I've told you a thousand times no!" she yelled back

"So what is it than?" Punk demanded

"What do you even care?" AJ asked back "One visit from Christian and he scared you off. That's the amount of power he has over you imagine the power he has over me"

"If it was just me I would have knocked him out right in my living room" Punk spat "My family is off limits"

"Mine too!" AJ yelled

"What do you mean?" Punk asked noting the slip of the tongue

"He…" AJ started "…he takes care of my family"

"What do you mean?" Punk asked

"I was homeless when I was younger Phil" AJ confided slumping on the bed "When I started to train in wrestling I saved up all my own money and paid for it. After Jay and I broke up was around the time my dad lost his job again. I dropped out of wrestling school and gave them my money- whatever I had left" she told him as he listened intently "Around that time I met Christian at a restaurant in Tampa, I was his waitress and we hit it off" she said with a simple shrug. "After a few weeks we got really close and he knew what was happening to my family and offered to buy them a home and pay the bills. I said no but my parents accepted and insisted."

"I thought your family lived in Puerto Rico" Punk said to her

"They do. That's where they wanted to go. My dad is too old and sick to work right now and my mom works but she doesn't make much" AJ told him "I can't leave them on the streets I don't make that kind of money to support them"

"I'm sorry" Punk frowned

"Part of the deal is I don't wrestle" AJ admitted and he nodded, he had already figured that was the case "He doesn't want his girlfriend half naked on TV, he doesn't want me hurt- the list is endless"

"Do you love him?" Punk asked

"I thought I did" AJ admitted "He's never been bad to me" she told him honestly

"You don't think keeping you away from your dreams by threatening to kick your family out of their home is being good to you?" Punk questioned

"I've always taken care of people Phil" AJ sighed "My parents, my sister, my brother even Jay when were together and when we first got together it was nice to be taken care of for a change" she admitted "I thought he was the one"

"What's changed your mind?" Punk asked

"You" She told him simply "I like you" she told him bravely "I liked spending time with you and I like that you believe in me. No one ever has before"

"I still believe in you" Punk said to her

"It's ok I understand" AJ said holding back tears "You don't know me and you have to protect your family and believe me I will deal with Christian tomorrow I won't let him hurt your family"

"I don't want you talking to him about this" Punk said to her "I don't want you anymore involved"

"I'm the reason for this and I will make it up to you I promise" AJ promised "So I guess this is it" she said to him and he just frowned

"Yea" Punk nodded in agreement "Could you do me one thing though?"

"Anything" she said to him hopefully, she felt terribly guilty as it was

"Kiss me goodbye?" Punk questioned and she offered him a faint smile and stood up and walked over to him

"Ok" she whispered cupping his face and pulling him down to kiss her. It only took thirty seconds for the kiss to get completely out of hand and both knew it would end like this. "Stop" AJ said pulling away from him and both were out of breath

"I don't want to" Punk admitted resting his forehead against hers. AJ pulled his face back down towards hers and he lifted her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist and a minute later he dropped her to the bed with his lips still attached to hers

"You feel so good" AJ muttered as he started to kiss her neck

"Take your shirt off" he whispered against her ear as he leaned back to take his own shirt off and AJ did the same but also removed her bra. Punk looked down at her and saw the mark that Christian had left on her chest "What is this?" he asked running his large hand over her chest where her hear was beating rapidly

"He just likes to mark me" AJ told him innocently and Punk immediately cringed he leaned down and kissed the mark sweetly causing a tear to escape AJ's eye "You don't have to" she said to him as he kissed his way back up her throat

"I want to" Punk muttered against her neck "You deserve to be treated with respect and dignity not like what he did and not like what I did last week"

"I can't stop thinking about last week" AJ panted as she felt his hand unbutton her jeans and lower her zipper

"Me either" Punk said kissing her cheek

"Just one night right?" AJ asked as her hand headed down to his basketball shorts and tugged them down slightly "Just tonight"

"Just tonight" Punk agreed kissing her lips again but pulled away and hissed when he felt AJ's hand wrap around him. "Oh god baby" he muttered enjoying her movements

"It's my turn to ask….do you like that?" she whispered seductively against his ear and he just nodded causing her to smile

"You have to stop" Punk said against her ear

"I don't want to" she smiled

"If I finish before I start I'm going to be really upset" he smirked grabbing her hand and pulling away from her. AJ admired his tattooed covered body in person for the first time and her breath was taken away

"You like?" he smirked kneeling up so he was straddling her

"It's beautiful" she said in awe running her hands over his covered chest "What do they mean?"

"A lot of different things" Punk said to her "But we really don't have time for that" he said grabbing her hand that was tracing his tattoos and kissing it gently "I need you right now April" he said as he pulled down her jeans and thong.

"No" AJ warned noticing how Punk was eyeing her "No more foreplay" she warned

"But…" he said looking down at her lower body and licking his bottom lip

"Phil please" she begged lightly grabbing his hands and tugging him on top of her "Please I hate begging" she said to him

"Ok" he said to her "I don't have any condoms" he warned her

"I'm on the pill" she told him as he slowly grinded against her "What did I say about teasing!" she shouted lightly slapping his back causing him to laugh

"Ok" he said kissing her lips briefly before joining their bodies together "Jesus" he muttered as he roughly moved in and out "Are you ok?"

"So….ok" AJ sighed against him

"Just ok?" Punk questioned as he moved faster "You feel so good" he muttered as AJ wrapped her legs around his waist

"Amazing" she panted. It didn't take long before both reached their peaks together and Punk collapsed against AJ, he was completely spent as he tried to catch his breath

"Phil" She sighed as he picked his head up to look at her "Thank you"

"Don't thank me" he smirked and leaned down to kiss her again "Are you ok, seriously?"

"I have never been better" AJ assured him as he rolled over and off of AJ

"Is that your way of saying I'm the best you've ever had?" Punk asked her with a smirk

"I didn't say that" AJ warned "I'm not very experienced-" she was already feeling embarrassed

"You were great" Punk assured her with a grin

"I'm going to miss you" AJ admitted rolling onto her side to face him "Thank you for being my friend"

"If you ever need me-" Punk started

"Phil it's done" AJ told him "I'm not going to let you or your family be hurt because my boyfriend is a control freak"

"April if you ever need anything call me" Punk insisted

"I don't even have your number" AJ laughed "I barely know you"

"I'll leave my number" Punk told her

"I'm a big girl Phil" AJ said sitting up and wrapping the bed sheet around her naked body "I can look out for myself I've been doing it my whole life"

"Where are you going?" Punk asked as she got out of the bed

"To shower." AJ told him

"Cool" Punk said throwing the bed sheet off of his body and stood up completely bare

"What are you doing?" AJ asked with a laugh

"I really need a shower" Punk admitted innocently

"That was it" AJ reminded him "We agreed"

"We said tonight only" Punk said to her then looked over at the time "It's still tonight" he said walking over to her and unwrapping the bed sheet from around her body causing it to pool around her feet.

"Ok" she smiled grabbing his hand and leading him into the bathroom

The next morning AJ woke up with a smile on her face. Her body was wrecked but she felt satisfied and happy. She reached over and the other side of the bed was cold and now she remembered. Punk had told her he would be gone by the morning and he was. She looked around the room and that's when disappointment consumed her. She sat up noticed a note on his side of the bed where he had originally fallen asleep and opened it.

'_April, _

_Sorry to leave without saying goodbye but I know I would have wanted to say. My number is at the bottom. You're not alone._

_Phil'_

* * *

Punk was in a foul mood when he arrived for Raw. He saw AJ around the corner at her normal station and she was chatting with Dolph Ziggler. He wanted to go over and talk to her but he knew he couldn't. He just turned down the hall and headed into the locker room.

"So what happened with Beth?" Kofi asked

"Nothing" Punk said with a shrug as Dolph entered the locker room "We're over that's it"

"So she's on the market?" Dolph asked Punk who just glared at him "Too soon?"

"To soon" Kofi agreed

"I don't really care" Punk shrugged "Knock yourself out"

"Cool" Dolph grinned "It's been way too long for me"

"What? It's been two weeks?" Miz teased tying up his boots

"Try three and a half" Dolph said to him "It's like I've become a replant back here"

"Maybe the women back here know where you've been" Kofi snickered "Which is everywhere"

"Not even the catering girl would hear me out" Dolph said annoyed "And I just got shot down by AJ for like the hundredth time"

"AJ?" Miz asked not sure who she was while Punk glared towards Dolph

"The cute little number who cuts up my shirts" Dolph said and Miz nodded

"Oh right" Miz said nodding

"Maybe it has to do with the fact she has a boyfriend" Kofi said to him "One who would probably have you fired if he knew you were hitting on his girl"

"She's forbidden fruit man" Dolph laughed "That's why I want her so bad"

"Leave her alone" Punk said surprising all of them "She's not like that"

"Yea I know she just reminded me" Dolph sulked

"Beth is probably bored and looking for a new play thing" Punk suggested

"Damn someone is bitter" Kofi smirked

"Not bitter just telling you how it is" Punk shrugged

* * *

AJ was scrolling through her phone and was looking down at the new number she added. Of course she couldn't put Punk's real name in so she put him under Beth. Her finger grazed over the call button but she knew she shouldn't.

"Hey AJ" Eve smiled

"Hi Eve" AJ said quickly putting her phone away

"So I was thinking after the show tonight we could grab some food?" Eve suggested happily and AJ just nodded

"Did Phil ask you to ask me?" AJ asked and Eve frowned

"No" Eve told her honestly "Why? What happened?" AJ didn't know how to respond but instead broke down in tears "Oh AJ" Eve said grabbing her and pulling her into a hug "What happened?" she asked again

"I can't talk about it" AJ sobbed

"Yes you can but not here obviously" Eve said to her "We'll talk tonight after the show, ok?"

"Ok" AJ said as Eve continued to hug AJ, Punk walked by and stopped when he saw AJ crying and thankfully AJ didn't spot him but he did make eye contact with Eve who looked over to him. Punk just quietly passed the two of them and headed down the hall


	7. Lost & Alone

**Chapter 7: Lost and Alone**

* * *

AJ and Eve went to a local diner after the show and spoke for over two hours about everything. She told her about her night with Phil and all about Christian. AJ wasn't sure why but she knew she trusted Eve and she listened intently and offered some advice to the young woman.

"I'm sure Punk is just upset as you are" Eve offered

"I don't know" AJ said to her "But all I know is last month I didn't even know he existed and now he consumes all of my thoughts"

"He likes you" Eve said to her "But he's in a real tough spot, his sisters are his world"

"I know and I understand why he's doing what he's doing" AJ told her "I just hate that he was even put into this position and believe me I plan on talking to Christian about this"

"Don't AJ" Eve said to her "He's clearly a very powerful man and putting yourself in-between him and Punk will be very dangerous"

"I'll be fine" AJ said to her "He won't hurt me"

"He already is" Eve said to her "You're not happy"

"My family is" AJ said to her and Eve offered her a sympathetic smile

"With all due respect AJ your parents are adults" Eve told her "And I'm sure if they knew how miserable you were they wouldn't want his money"

"I just want to wrestle" AJ told her "If I can get an opportunity I can make more money and they won't need his money anymore but Christian knows this"

"I'll help" Eve offered

"No" AJ said quickly "You've been so nice to me and the last thing I need is Christian bullying you too"

"You do know my boyfriend and his family could probably break Christian in half with one hand right?" Eve laughed "Let me talk to some people at work. I've seen some of your old matches and Celeste gushes about you constantly."

"I'll figure it out I don't want you caught up in this" AJ said to her firmly "I'll fix everything"

"Just be careful" Eve frowned "And if things go south you can always go see Rener at the Gracie school"

"I will" AJ said to her "And thank you for listening to me I'm sure you have other things you could be doing"

"I like you AJ" Eve told her "And I want to help you and I want to listen. Anytime and I mean it"

"Could you do me a favor?" AJ asked Eve who nodded "If you see Phil could you just tell him I said thank you and I'm going to be ok?"

"Of course" Eve said to her "But I hate lying to him"

"I will be" AJ said to her "I'm leaving tomorrow morning and I'm flying to LA to see Christian and I'm going to talk to him about everything"

"Oh AJ" Eve said nervously "I don't think you should do that. Maybe you should talk to him at the arena or you can wait for me and I'll go with you, I'm flying out to LA myself Wednesday morning"

"Thanks but I have to do this on my own" AJ told her

"Please call me when you're done or I'm going to send out a search party" Eve warned

"I promise" AJ said to her

* * *

Once AJ headed to her room Eve headed straight to Punk's room and knocked twice before he answered.

"Eve" Punk said confused and opened the door to let her in "You ok?"

"I just had dinner with AJ" Eve informed him as she took her jacket off

"Is she ok?" Punk asked

"She just wanted me to tell you thank you and she's going to be ok" Eve said as Punk frowned

"Ok" Punk said unsurely "Why did she ask you to tell me that?"

"She's going to see Christian" Eve told him and he felt his body tense

"Why?" Punk asked her "I really hope it's not because of me"

"I think it's a lot of things" Eve admitted "But I think a major part of it is the subtle threat you received"

"I told her to leave it alone" Punk said annoyed grabbing his phone and room key

"Where are you going?" Eve asked confused

"To stop her" Punk said to her "I don't need her to fight my battles"

"This is her battle" Eve said stepping in front of the door "And do you really think you could talk to her without trying to get her clothes off?"

"Good point" Punk muttered tossing his phone and keys on the table "I'm afraid for her"

"Me too" Eve admitted "But she assured me she'd be fine but what about you? You seem to really like her"

"I did…I do" Punk groaned "I can't get her out of my head"

"She's a sweet girl and in a perfect world I could see you two being together" Eve noted

"She's amazing" Punk said to Eve "She likes everything I do, she's smart and she's strong and not to completely be crude she's great in bed"

"Give her some time to work this out herself" Eve said to him "You just worry about your sisters"

"I don't think he'd do anything to them" Punk said to her "But I can't risk it"

"She understands that" Eve said to him "So let her try to talk to him"

"I don't trust him with her" Punk said to her

"She told me how he's helping her family" Eve said to him

"And he knows we've been together yet he doesn't care he just wants her coming home to him" Punk said to her "What kind of weirdo is he? If I was with April and some other guy was touching her I would probably kill him"

"He is a strange dude" Eve agreed "But he does seem to love her so maybe he'll let her go"

"He's a business man Eve" Punk reminded her "He likes to win I think that's what this is all about. He'd be mortified if his perfect girlfriend started wrestling and left him for someone like me"

"Do you think she would want to?" Eve asked "Leave him for you?"

"I don't know" Punk muttered "And don't get me wrong I'm no prince charming but I'm ten times better than that freak she's with"

"You are a prince" Eve smiled fondly "She'd be lucky to have you"

"I want her" Punk told Eve honestly "I want to take her to hockey games and cheer her on while she wrestles"

"I know" Eve frowned "Time heals all wounds"

"What should I do?" Punk asked "Should I talk to her before she goes?"

"No" Eve said to him firmly "Let her sort this out first you'll see her next week don't worry"

"I am worried" Punk said to her

"I'll stay in touch with her and as soon as I hear something I'll let you know" Eve promised "I'm trying to talk her in to working with me and Rener" she told Punk who smiled

"She'd probably love that" Punk said to her

"Maybe she'll take me up on my offer" Eve said to her

"She'd need permission first" Punk remarked

"Hey don't be so bitter" Eve warned "What she's doing for her family is very admirable"

"Her family sucks" Punk shot at Eve

"Give them all a break" Eve warned "We don't know the entire story and she thinks she's helping so please just be patient"

"I'm not a patient man" Punk reminded her

"I know" Eve smiled

* * *

AJ arrived at Christian's office and strolled right past the reception desk and into his office, clearly he was in a meeting

"April" Christian said surprised "I wasn't expecting you"

"I need a word with you" AJ said to him narrowing her eyes at him "In private"

"Can this wait? I'm in a meeting" Christian pointed out

"No" AJ said standing her ground

"Gentlemen let's break for lunch" He told the two other men in his office and the two men left the room "April what's wrong?"

"How dare you!" AJ shouted and Christian just smiled

"You spoke to Phillip" Christian said knowing

"How dare you threaten him and his family!" AJ yelled "He's been a good friend to me!"

"I didn't threaten his family I simply made an observation about his sisters" Christian defended lightly "I'm surprised mister tough guy ran off and told you though"

"Apologize to him" AJ demanded

"No" Christian said to her simply "I'll wait for him apologize to me"

"For what?" AJ spat

"Sticking his hands down my girlfriends pants in the middle of a public park" Christian replied coolly "You didn't think Jack saw that, did you?"

"Why didn't you say something to me?" AJ asked surprised

"Because I was waiting for you to come clean" Christian told her simply

"Why are you still with me?" AJ asked "You know I was with him so why are you still here?"

"Because I love you and we all make mistakes April" Christian told her in an almost eerie voice

"I don't love you" AJ told him bluntly "Not anymore"

"Oh April" Christian frowned but didn't seem to upset

"I don't want this anymore" AJ said to him "You're not who I thought you were"

"I didn't threaten his sisters I would never hurt a female" Christian assured her "Don't be ridiculous and please wash up we have a dinner tonight"

"Maybe you didn't hear me" AJ said in a more firm voice "I don't want to be with you. I can take care of my family myself I've saved some money"

"Not nearly enough" Christian said to her and he was right

"I want to wrestle" AJ said to him

"April" Christian warned "We've discussed this one too many times"

"You're not the boss of me!" AJ yelled "I am going to start wrestling again and I am going to move on without you"

"You make it sound so easy" Christian grinned

"And call off whatever deal you have in the works with Vince McMahon I don't want you to apart of my job" AJ demanded

"I like it when you're this feisty" Christian said eyeing her fondly

"I'm not being feisty I'm being honest and you're not even hearing me out!" AJ yelled

"Ok April" Christian said to her "You want to be free? You're free"

"Really?" AJ asked

"Yes" Christian confirmed

"And you're not going to threaten Phil or anyone else I work with for that matter?" AJ questioned

"Nope" Christian said to her "You want to make it in the wrestling business? Go ahead and good luck to you. I'll even continue to help your family" he said to her

"No" AJ said to him

"Please April at least until you make it big" Christian said in an almost sarcastic voice "You're not going to last April you'll be back to me in less than a week and I look forward to it"

"It won't happen" AJ said to him

"I'll leave Phil and your family alone you have my word" was Christians response "Good luck and I'll see you soon dear" he said walking over to her and kissing her cheek.

"Thanks" AJ muttered but that's when she felt his much larger hand that was skimming her cheek clutch around her throat and the next thing she knew she was pinned to the door of the office

"Are you insane bitch?" Christian seethed into her ear

"I cant…breath…" she choked out

"You want to whore yourself out to that dirt bag? Good feel free" Christian said to her as she gasped for air "I'll leave them alone but your life is going to become hell, no one walks away from me" he threatened

"Please" she pleaded as she tried to claw at his face but she didn't have the strength

"One week April" Christian seethed "I'm giving you one week to get your head on straight before everything falls apart, am I making myself clear?" he asked and she just nodded that's when his hand wandered to the front of her jeans and she flinched her body "Oh you'd let him touch you like this but not me?" he questioned against her ear

"Please, please" she begged as her face started to turn red

"I love it when you beg" Christian smiled as he became to touch her "I'll see you shortly" he said kissing her lips before letting her go "I love you April don't forget that" he said looking down as she fell to the floor gasping for air

"You're crazy" she spat as she rubbed her soar throat

"About you" Christian grinned "Jack will meet you outside and take you anywhere you want to go"

"Ok" AJ said standing up and grabbing her purse. She ran out of the office door and instead of going to the elevator where she knew Jack would be waiting she turned and ran towards the fire exit stairs and raced down the thirty three flights before she made it outside.

* * *

Punk had just finished some interviews and promo shoots before SmackDown and headed into the locker room. He was surprised when he saw a text from AJ on his phone that she had sent almost three hours ago.

'_He won't be bothering you or your family anymore, I'm sorry again'_

He frowned at the message and wondered how it went with Christian. He went against his better judgment and called the number but was surprised when the number came up not in service. Now he was worried.

* * *

AJ realized her phone had been turned off only half an hour after leaving Christian's office also all her credit cards were cancelled. She was officially lost in a strange city and broke. She wasn't the type to ask for help but she would happily ask now since she was so desperate. She hailed a cab and gave him an address once she arrived at her destination she handed over the last of her cash to the driver before getting out.

She entered the large building and was greeted by a very nice receptionist.

"Hi can I help you?" the young girl asked sweetly

"Hi I'm looking for Rener" AJ said to her. It was pouring in LA and she was drenched and now the bruises on her neck were starting to show.

"And you are?" the woman asked politely

"I work with his girlfriend Eve, my name is April." AJ knew this was a shot in the dark but this was all she had.

"I'll give him a buzz and let him know you're here, please take a seat" she said gesturing for AJ to take a seat in the waiting area. After ten minutes the woman was still on the phone and glancing over to AJ.

"He'll be right out" the young woman said walking over to her "Can I get you anything? Coffee or tea?"

"No thank you" AJ said and a few minutes later a man who she presumed to be Rener Gracie stepped out off the elevator and was clearly in the middle of working out.

"April?" Rener asked as she looked up "I've heard a lot about you" he smiled shaking her hand

"I'm sorry for barging in on you like this but I had no where else to go" AJ told him standing up

"It's fine. This is a safe place April" Rener assured her

"Please call me AJ" she insisted and smiled warmly

"Ok AJ" he said then saw the marks on her neck "What happened there?" he asked her with a frown but she didn't respond "How about we get you upstairs, Eve's locker room is all yours and she wouldn't mind sharing her stuff with you"

"Ok thank you" she said to him

"We're going to take care you of you AJ don't worry" Rener promised as he led her over to the elevator

* * *

Eve knocked on Punk's locker room door but lost patience after the second knock and barged in. Punk was on the floor with his headphones on and stretching on the floor so she impatiently tapped his shoulder.

"Eve?" Punk asked "What's wrong?" he asked her "Did you hear from AJ?"

"Not exactly" Eve said letting out a breath "She showed up at the Gracie school"

"Really?" Punk asked surprised

"I told her that she should go there if she felt she needed help so thankfully she took me up on the offer" Eve said to him as he stood up anxiously

"Is she ok? Why is her phone off?" Punk asked her "I want to talk to her myself"

"She didn't say much but Rener told me she showed up drenched and seemed really out of it" Eve told him purposely leaving out the bruises he discovered on her neck "I'm going to fly out tonight instead of tomorrow"

"I'll go with you" Punk told her

"I don't think that's a good idea" Eve said to him

"She knows me better than you and Rener- no offense" Punk added "I want to see her with my own two eyes and talk to her. I want to know what happened"

"Ok I'll book you a ticket on my flight" Eve said to him

"Thank you" Punk said to her "Was she hurt or anything?"

"He didn't really get into details" Eve said quickly causing Punk to narrow his eyes at his friend

"I'll meet you at my rental after the show" she said quickly then walked out the door.

* * *

The flight was only an hour and half and Punk and Eve arrived at Rener's house at about two in the morning. Rener had offered up the guest room to AJ and he waited up for Eve and Punk to arrive.

"Hey" Eve smiled walking into the house and giving her a boyfriend a kiss

"Hi baby" Rener grinned "Punk" he said with a smile pulling him into a hug

"Hey" Punk said "Where's April?"

"She's in the guestroom" Rener said to him "I'm not sure she's sleeping though"

"Is she ok?" Eve frowned removing her jacket and scarf

"She didn't say much about what happened but after we got her some fresh clothes and I got her onto the floor to work out she seemed fine" Rener told them "She's pretty strong by the way"

"She is" Punk agreed with a smirk "Which room is she in?"

"Upstairs third door on the left" Rener said to him and Punk just raced up the stairs.

Punk knocked softly on the door but walked right in anyway.

"What's the point of knocking if you're just going to walk in?" AJ asked him

"I thought you might be sleeping" Punk said as closed the door behind him "Are you ok?"

"I was a little shocked at first and completely lost but after talking to Rener I feel better" AJ admitted forcing a smile

"What happened to your phone?" Punk asked "I tried calling you"

"He had it turned off" AJ said annoyed "I need to get a new one. He also had a bunch of my credit cards cancelled"

"I'm sorry" Punk said taking a seat at the edge of the bed and she turned on the light to look at him better

"It's fine I got a few of them turned back on-" AJ stopped when she saw Punk's face fall "What?"

"What happened?" Punk asked standing up and walking over her and brushing his fingertips over neck "April?" he demanded "I thought he never touched you"

"He never has" AJ said quickly

"What did he do to you?" Punk asked softly

"He was so calm and told me he'd let me go" AJ admitted "Then he flipped a switch and next thing I knew I was up against the door"

"Jesus" Punk muttered "How long did he hold you? These bruises…."

"A few minutes" AJ told him then he saw a tear roll down her cheek

"What else happened April?" Punk asked lightly tugging on her chin so she would look at him

"I don't want to talk about it" AJ told him but he frowned "And please can you call me AJ, he called me April-"

"Ok" Punk said understanding why now she didn't want to be called by her full name "AJ did he hurt you anywhere else?"

"No" AJ said shaking her head slightly "But I told you I was strong enough to do this" and he offered a smile "I told you I could do it"

"I know" Punk smiled at her

"But I don't trust that he's really going to leave you alone" AJ said to him "We need to keep our distance. I shouldn't even be here to be honest I'm sure he knows"

"Where's your car?" Punk asked

"I left it at his office he paid for the car anyway" AJ said bitterly "I just wish I had enough sense to grab by suitcase"

"You did everything right" Punk assured her

"What are you doing here Phil?" AJ asked

"I wanted to make sure you were ok" Punk admitted "After I got your message and couldn't get in touch with you I was going mad"

"I'm ok" she promised "And tomorrow I'm going to head home to make sure I still have a home" she said with a laugh but he didn't find it funny "Lighten up I'm ok"

"Look at your neck AJ" Punk said shaking his head "You're not ok"

"It will go away" AJ said to him "But you need to leave" she told him

"I don't want to" Punk said to her "I want to stay here with you"

"It's not a good idea" AJ said to him "But maybe you can help me train next week?"

"You're going back to training?" Punk asked with a smile

"Yes" AJ said to him "I'd love it if you would be my teacher. Like I said we have to be super careful and give it some time but you're the best and I want to learn from the best"

"Absolutely" Punk smiled "I'm proud of you AJ"

"He made it very clear that he wouldn't hurt your sisters by the way he was just trying to scare you" AJ clarified

"What about your family?" Punk asked

"He wants to still help them but I told him no, I'll try to get in touch with them tomorrow and see what's going on" AJ said to him

"You should get some rest" Punk said to her and she nodded

"And so should you" AJ said to him as she turned the light off then noticed he was kicking off his shoes "What are you doing?"

"I'm staying here tonight" Punk informed her as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on a nearby armchair

"Phil" AJ said to him "We can't-"

"You're safe here" Punk told her as he crawled into the bed and faced her "You're safe with me. After tonight we'll go our separate ways and wait for things to die down a bit. I'm already here so what's the point in my leaving?"

"Yea I guess" she said to him "I really appreciate you checking on me"

"I really appreciate you standing up for me and my family" Punk countered "That was really reckless"

"You're a good man" AJ said to him "One of the best men I have ever met. Do you realize that you changed my life? And I barely know you"

"In all fairness we worked together for over a year" Punk pointed to her

"I guess" AJ said to him as he leaned in kissed her sweetly

"Just sleep" Punk said pulling away from her and wrapping his arm around her so her head was resting on his chest. AJ slowly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Christian arrived at his office at eight in the morning on the dot. He was a little OCD that way, never late and never early- always on time. He was surprised to find Punk sitting in his office across from his desk.

"You should really think about upping your security" Punk said to the mogul "Anyone can just waltz right in to your office"

"I was actually expecting you" Christian informed him dropping his suitcase and taking a seat at his desk "I thought I'd see you last night though but I'm sure you were busy with April"

"I was working actually" Punk defended "But since you mentioned her we really should have a discussion about her"

"She's my favorite topic" Christian grinned "What's on your mind Phillip?"

**...TBC**


	8. Idle Threats

**Chapter 8: Idle Threats**

* * *

"So Phil what's on your mind?" Christian asked coolly

"I think you know" Punk said to him

"April mentioned to me how I 'threatened' your family" Christian started off "There was no threat towards your sisters I was making a simple observation"

"Right" Punk grinned

"I would never hurt your family" Christian told him "So speaking of April which is the reason why you're here, how is she? And please do not lie to me again and tell me you weren't with her last night"

"You were watching her?" Punk asked

"I'm always watching April" Christian told him in a simply voice "How is she? She seemed upset when she left last night"

"You put your hands on her" Punk said trying to contain his anger "How do you think she is?"

"April loves when my hands are on her" Christian laughed "She likes it rough but I suppose you already know that."

"I don't think she was fan of it" Punk said to her "I wasn't a fan of it either as a matter of fact I'd like to jump over your desk and strangle you myself"

"What's stopping you?" Christian questioned

"The fact that you'll have me thrown in jail and that will give you a clear path right back to AJ" Punk told him honestly

"What's with your sudden interest in her?" Christian asked leaning on his desk with his hands folded

"I like her" Punk told him honestly "She's talented, smart and beautiful and I was intrigued by her I had to find out what was holding her back and now I finally figured it out"

"I feel like you've misjudged me" Christian told him in a polite voice "I have April's best intentions always. I want to see her succeed but most of all I want to see her happy"

"And you think holding her back from wrestling and strangling her makes her happy?" Punk asked him dryly

"April won't make it in the business" Christian told him

"Because you're the expert on the pro-wrestling business?" Punk mocked "AJ could be a star"

"I won't allow it so I suggest you stop wasting your breath" Christian suggested

"Now I feel as if you misjudged me" Punk laughed "I'm not here to ask for your permission. I want you to leave AJ alone"

"I hope you had a good time with April last night because it's the beginning of the end for you two" Christian informed him

"AJ and I are friends" Punk said to him "That's all and you're not going to bully me like you do to AJ, if I want to be her friend or hang out with her work I will"

"How many times have you slept with her?" Christian asked Punk who just gave him a smug look "You aren't just friends Phil because if you were you wouldn't be here in my office right now"

"We are friends and I'm going to help AJ make it and I also want you to stop paying her families bills" Punk said to him

"April can't afford to take care of them" Christian reminded him

"No she can't" Punk agreed "But I can"

"Wow do you always go all out like this for your 'friends'?" Christian questioned leaning back in his chair

"Leave her alone" Punk said firmly

"You're no match for me" Christian told him "I suggest you walk out of this office and not look back. Forget you ever met April and forget the fact that she let you have a taste because it's over. Trust me you don't want to be in the middle of this and I'd like to think I've been patient enough with you but don't push me"

"I suggest you cut all ties with AJ" Punk shot right back at him "You may have power and fortune but I have a voice and I don't know if you know this about me but people tend to listen when I speak. One word from me and your reputation is down the drain and if anything happens with my sisters at school or work people will know its you"

"I already told you I wouldn't do anything to your family but butting into this could have consequences for you" Christian warned

"You can't turn off my credit cards or cost me my job" Punk snorted

"I'm one signature away from working with your company Phillip" Christian reminded him

"Yea I heard" Punk said to him "My friend Vince McMahon and I had a real long conversation about you last night."

"I have money and Mr. McMahon likes money" Christian told him

"Vince also hates bullies which is really ironic since he's one himself" Punk smirked "He also likes to think of himself as the most powerful man in the world much like yourself- difference is Vince has morals. He has a daughter and granddaughters he's not a fan of men putting their hands on women"

"I sincerely hope you didn't interfere on my business deal" Christian warned

"I also hoped you'd leave AJ alone" Punk shrugged simply "Weird how karma works. So you have no control over my job and not that I don't trust you but I've already taken precautions where my family is concerned and you can send your muscle to push me around but I think I could hold my own- you have nothing on me and as of this moment you're finished with AJ as well"

"No" Christian told him "April will be back in this office in a weeks time and she will be on her hands and knees and not just for my own physical pleasure either and trust me Phil I am going to make her beg and take what ever dignity she has left"

"If you come at her again I am going to come at you and I will take the night in jail believe that" Punk threatened as he stood up "Stop following her around and stop trying to sabotage her" Punk headed towards the door but stopped when Christian started to speak again

"The bruises on her neck will be nothing compared to what I do to her if I find out you're helping her in anyway" Christian said to him as Punk slowly turned to face him. Now Punk realized what AJ was talking about last night about how Christian's cool attitude could turn on a dime "There's more than one way to hurt a man Phillip" he said with a wink. Punk started to walk back towards Christian when his door opened a security team walked in "My security staff will walk you out Phil thanks for stopping by. Don't be a stranger" he said to him cheerfully.

* * *

After waking up early AJ caught a flight back to Tampa and found an eviction notice on her door. She didn't have much time to move her stuff and wasn't even sure where she would go but being homeless didn't scare her; she lived this way most of her childhood. What frightened her was the message she received from an executive at WWE. She was being called to their FCW training facility and she had no idea why. She jumped into her old car after putting some bags of clothes and some priceless comic books in the backseat and trunk and headed right over to FCW.

Once she arrived a few lower level executives greeted her then she was ushered into a small office to wait for someone else. She knew she was about to be handed her walking papers courtesy of Christian but she'd be ok with that too- she could work her way back up.

"Sorry for the wait" Hunter said walking into the office looking over some paperwork in his hand. AJ was frozen; she had never spoken to Hunter personally and rarely ever saw him. "April right?"

"Yea" AJ said as she felt herself turning pale

"Do you know why I called you in here?" Hunter asked taking a seat at his desk

"To fire me?" AJ asked nervously and he gave her a tight smile

"Why would I fire you?" Hunter asked

"I can't think of any other reason as to why I was called here" AJ admitted

"Do you know what that facility is?" Hunter questioned

"Its your training facility" AJ told him and he nodded

"I've been running it for a year now hopefully in another year or so I hope to have this televised. This is where it all starts for people" Hunter informed her and she nodded "I want to give you a tryout"

"What?" AJ asked stunned

"I saw some of your matches, watched your promos you've got something" Hunter told her simply "I know you're good in the ring because you've trained with some of the best but how did you get to be so good on the microphone?"

"I took acting classes" AJ said still in shock by his offer "I always wanted to do this"

"So I've heard" Hunter said to her "A lot of people think highly of you April and we want to give you a shot here. We can audition you later today if that's ok? I'd really like to be around for it"

"I'm free" AJ told him happily

"Good" Hunter grinned

"Why me?" AJ asked him

"Like I said I saw some of your work and a few superstars have spoken highly of you to Vince and he seems to be a fan" Hunter told her "I know this is sudden but give it a shot"

"I want to believe me" AJ said to him "It's just my boyfriend- my ex-"

"Christian Scott?" Hunter asked and AJ nodded

"He's going to be doing business here and he doesn't want me wrestling but I would love to try it anyway" AJ told him hoping she didn't just make him regret his decision

"WWE and Christian Scott are not going into business together" Hunter informed her formally "Christian Scott also doesn't dictate what Vince McMahon does or doesn't do"

"Good to hear" AJ said feeling herself get excited; this is all she ever wanted.

"So I suggest you go home get into gear and meet back here in about two hours?" Hunter asked looking at his watch

"Yes absolutely and thank you so much for this opportunity" AJ said standing up and shaking his hand

"Thank Punk" Hunter smirked "And Eve, they both raved about you"

"I had a feeling" AJ said to him

"I really hope this works April" Hunter said to her

"Me too" AJ said relieved.

She headed into the parking lot and unlocked her car where most of her clothes were. She smiled lightly to herself because she was used to living in her car and if this was the worst Christian could do to her then she'd be just fine. She did want to call Eve and thank her for talking to Hunter and let her know what was happening but when she reached into her pocket she realized her new pre-paid phone was gone.

"I think you left this in my office" Hunter said walking over to her and her car.

"Thanks" she said accepting the phone. He looked over and saw her car and how most of her things were in it and arched a brow "This isn't what it looks like-"

"We do pay you right?" Hunter asked with a laugh

"Yea I'm having some issues with my banking at the moment" AJ admitted feeling completely embarrassed

"What kind of issues?" Hunter asked placing his hands in his pockets

"The kind where all my cards get shut off" AJ said with a bitter laugh "It's fine though" she told him "I'll be ready for today"

"I'm sure you will" Hunter agreed "But in the mean time how about we get you set up in a hotel?"

"That's ok I'll be fine" AJ said to him

"Do you have a place to stay April?" Hunter asked her

"No" she said quietly

"We always put up our talent when they're coming in for an audition" Hunter said brushing it off as he typed away on his phone "Just give me a few minutes and I'll have this taken care of"

"Really you don't have to" AJ told him "I'm not some needy, helpless girl" she defended lightly

"Never said you were" Hunter smirked "But you work in this company you are part of the family and hopefully you'll be a bigger part of it. We help each other out and don't worry I won't say a word to anyone and as a matter of fact I'll make sure to have your room booked under an alias name just in case" he said to her knowing he was trying to cover for her on the Christian end

"Really-" AJ started

"Just say thank you" Hunter said to her and she couldn't help but grin

"Thank you" AJ finally choked out accepting his help

"You're welcome" Hunter said simply

* * *

Punk arrived back in Chicago later that night and found Colt and Cliff already waiting for him in his place.

"What the hell is this?" Punk asked tossing his keys on the nearest table

"Why are you so angry? Did someone stand you up at a baseball game this afternoon?" Colt asked Punk then smirked "Oh that's right I was the one stood up, by you as a matter of fact"

"I completely forgot" Punk said to him "Sorry man"

"I thought the business mogul kidnapped you so I enlisted Cliff for backup" Colt teased

"Don't mention him" Punk warned "I've dealt with him enough"

"What happened?" Colt asked

"Do we need to go burn his house down?" Cliff asked seriously as both Colt and Punk looked at Cliff in horror "Too far?" he asked with a laugh

"Seriously what happened?" Colt asked ignoring Cliff

"AJ and him broke up and she was really upset so I just flew out to LA to check on her" Punk said to them

"You flew all the way to LA and blew off a game with us to sit with a girl you're not even banging?" Cliff asked hurtfully

"Unless he is" Colt grinned

"I'm not discussing this" Punk informed them as he removed his jacket

"You did!" Colt laughed

"She's in a really bad place right now the last thing I'm thinking about is sleeping with her. Actually we're working on keeping our distance" Punk told them

"You don't really think he'd hurt your sisters, do you?" Cliff asked him

"Nah I went to see him today" Punk told him "I'm more worried for AJ now"

"You went to go see him?" Colt asked stunned "Out of your own free will?"

"I didn't like the way he treated AJ so I went over there to tell him that" Punk told them simply

"Let me get this straight" Cliff laughed "You went and antagonized a seemingly mentally unstable and powerful billionaire over a girl that you're not even sleeping with?"

"It's not just about the sex!" Punk shouted annoyed

"So there was sex!" Cliff shouted back pointing back at him

"AJ is a good girl and what he's doing to her is wrong you know me, you know I can't just stand idly by and let her get hurt" Punk defended

"You really dig her huh?" Colt asked sensing how serious Punk was about all of this

"She's great" Punk said to them "You guys would love her"

"I loved her from the first time Jay showed us her first match" Cliff grinned

"Don't" Punk warned

"Oh man he's totally into her" Cliff said to Colt who nodded

"So what happened? Did she break it off with him?" Colt asked

"Yea she did and he gave a hard time so I wanted to check on her and drop on in him and no I won't be discussing it any further" Punk warned them

"Ok fine but could you at least tell us how good she was?" Cliff asked seriously as Punk rolled his eyes "You may need backup against this lunatic and you know it's going to be me and Colt backing you up and I think we have a right to know how worth it this is fight is"

"Is the fact that a woman is in a relationship with a power hunger, abusive, crude, obnoxious and intimidating man not enough incentive for you two?" Punk asked and both remained quiet

"We really want to know" Colt told him bluntly "On a scale of 1-10 that's all. Give us a number and it won't be mentioned again" he assured Punk

"10" Punk told them and both eyes widened

"I can't remember you ever rating a woman a 10 before" Cliff said in awe "We have your back"

"We had your back anyway" Colt said glaring towards Cliff

"Right of course" Cliff said and that's when Punk's phone started to ring. He didn't recognize the number but with all that's been going on he decided to answer

"Yea?" Punk asked almost annoyed

"Phil?" the sweet voice of AJ caused Punk's entire tune to change

"AJ" he said walking away from his friends quickly "Where are you? Are you ok?"

"I'm in Tampa and I'm better than ok thanks to you and Eve" she told him "Thank you"

"For what?" Punk asked

"You spoke to Vince on my behalf" AJ said to him

"I told you I would" Punk said to her

"They signed me to a developmental deal" AJ told him happily

"Congratulations" Punk grinned "I'm proud of you"

"I couldn't have done it without you" AJ told him

"I wish I could take all the credit but I'm pretty sure your talent has gotten you where you are" Punk said to her

"I'm going to be in Tampa for a few weeks training" AJ told him

"So you'll be off the road?" Punk asked feeling disappointed

"Yea for a bit." AJ told him "Maybe the next time you see me I'll be on the road with you as a superstar"

"I have no doubt but I was hoping to see you before that" Punk admitted "How's your place?"

"What place?" She asked with a laugh "Christian owns the building I live in I was evicted as soon as I stepped into the building"

"Where are you staying?" he asked anxiously

"WWE has put me up in a lovely hotel actually" AJ told him "They also put me under an alias name so hopefully Christian won't know"

"Good" Punk said to her

"I'm going to miss you" AJ said to him

"I'll miss you too" Punk said to her quietly making sure his friends couldn't hear her

"I don't know how or when but I promise you I'll make it up to you one day" AJ assured him

"Don't mention it" Punk said to her "Maybe I'll drop by one day next week" he suggested and he knew he shouldn't but he knew he couldn't stay away. He wanted to see her for himself.

"That would be great" AJ said to him

"I can reach you at this number, right?" Punk asked

"I'm calling from a pre-paid phone but you can reach me on here I guess" AJ told him

"Cool. I'll be in touch" Punk said to her "Get some rest you have a lot of work to do"

"Yea I will. Goodnight Phil" she said to him

"Night AJ" he replied and waited to hear her hang up before he did so himself.


	9. Right Direction

**Chapter 9: Right Direction**

* * *

It had been a week since AJ started training in FCW and tonight she was going to be wrestling in her first official match. It wasn't much, it wasn't being filmed and it was only going to be a dark-match before the show but she was excited. She also knew some important people from WWE were going to be watching.

During the week she was pleased that she hadn't heard from Christian at all and her family was still living in their home. She assumed he was still paying the bills but she knew soon he wouldn't have to because once she made it she would take care of everything herself.

She was in her locker room which she had to herself currently and was eyeing her attire. It wasn't great but it was all her. A pair of short, shorts and a cut up rock t-shirt. She didn't want a lot of makeup painted on her but the makeup artist insisted, she told AJ she'd want to remember this night forever. She'd never get another first match again and she was right. A soft knock at the door caused her stomach to knot, she thought she had more time but clearly it was now or never. She raced to the door and opened it expecting to find an agent or a producer but instead it was Punk. She didn't even greet him before she threw her arms around his neck and smiled wildly.

"Happy to see me?" Punk smirked as he hugged her just as tight

"You have no idea" She said pulling away as Punk entered her locker room and closed the door. She noticed how he eyed her attire "You like?" she asked twirling around briefly

"You look great" Punk said simply "I like the chucks too"

"Yea I want to be me" AJ said to him "I don't want to be re-packaged"

"I know the feeling" Punk said to her

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked

"I heard a rumor that you're wrestling tonight" Punk said to her "I wanted to see your first match"

"Thank you for being here" AJ said to him happily "It means a lot"

"So how have you been doing?" Punk asked and she knew what he was referring to

"It's been quiet on the Christian front" AJ told him and he felt the tension in his body slowly start to dissipate

"Good" Punk said to her "I hear you're kicking ass down here"

"Really?" AJ asked hopefully

"Yea you've generated quit the buzz already" Punk said to her "My old buddy Paul Heyman works down here a lot"

"I've met him" AJ said to him "He's nice"

"He better be" Punk smirked

"I've missed you" AJ said to him

"We talked like four times last week" Punk mocked

"Not the same" AJ said to him shyly

"I know" He said to her "I've missed you too. So how about after your match I take you out to eat? We can catch up"

"Cool" AJ said happily now they were both standing in awkward silence

"I'm going to go out front and grab a seat" Punk told her

"You're going to sit in the audience?" AJ asked him

"I want to be able to remember where I was the night of AJ Mendez's first wrestling match" Punk told her casually "This way when she's a huge star I can say I saw her first"

"It's actually going to be AJ Lee" AJ told him "Mendez is too long apparently"

"AJ Lee" Punk said grinning "I like it" he said stepping closer to her "I actually like it a lot" he said as he invaded her personal space

"It means so much to me that you could be here, I know you made this happen. I hope I make you proud" she smiled

"You couldn't disappoint me" Punk smirked cupping her cheek

"I thought we agreed to keep our distance?" AJ asked as she felt herself getting lost in his simple touch

"Yea and that's why I didn't show up as soon as I found out you were and I wanted to believe me" Punk said in a low voice "I needed to see you for myself though"

"Well here I am" she said to him as he kept his hand on her cheek as his thumb brushed it lightly

"Yes…here you are indeed" Punk said before leaning down and pulling her into a kiss, it was short and sweet and just what both needed "I'll see you out there" he said with one final grin before exiting her locker room and leaving her breathless

* * *

Punk took a seat in the reserved seating area and was ready to watch the match. He watched as AJ skipped out to the ring and he couldn't help but grin. She was doing something that set her apart from the current crop of divas. He was so into her entrance he didn't even feel someone taking the seat next to him.

"Surprised to see you here" Hunter said to Punk causing him to cast his eyes over to the COO "What brings you down to FCW?"

"Her" Punk told him simply as he kept his eyes on her as she waited for her opponent to enter the ring. He smiled as she taunted the small a bit as well.

"She's very good. You were right" Hunter informed him "Vince likes her too"

"I knew she had talent" Punk told him "She just needed a push in the right direction"

"So did you fight to get her spot here because she's good or because you're sleeping with her?" Hunter asked causing Punk to glare at him

"My personal business is my own" Punk shot at his boss "But no I fought for this because she deserves it- obviously"

"So you are sleeping with her?" Hunter asked

"What do you care?" Punk asked him

"I need to know if you're going to give me a hard time with keeping her around if things go south between the two of you" Hunter told him bluntly

"I'm not like that" Punk said brushing off his insane comments "But we're not together either. We're friends"

"Yea I can see that" Hunter smirked as AJ shot Punk a wink from the ring before the bell rang in her match "You were right about Christian Scott by the way. He did try to talk Vince into firing her"

"He's so predictable" Punk smirked to himself

"Vince loves a challenge" Hunter said with a laugh

"Are you guys still putting her up out here?" Punk asked

"Yea and will continue to do so" Hunter told him "She was going to live in her car"

"She's pretty stubborn I'm surprised she took you up on the hotel" Punk told him honestly

"She declined a few times" Hunter admitted "But I don't really take no for an answer"

"I'm glad" Punk said to him as he watched AJ move around the ring

"She's small Punk" Hunter said to him and Punk knew they didn't like 'small' wrestlers "But she's damn good. Almost like a female you" Punk wasn't even paying attention to Hunter anymore instead he was completely into AJ's match.

"Excuse me gentlemen" a voice said causing Hunter and Punk to both look up "Is this seat taken?" he asked pointing to the seat next to Hunter

"I wasn't expecting you" Hunter said to Christian as he took the empty seat next to Hunter

"I wouldn't miss April's first official match" Christian said simply "She looks good, wouldn't you agree Phil?" he asked glancing over to Punk who just chewed on his lower lip

"What are you doing here?" Hunter asked

"I came to see April" Christian repeated

"I don't think that's a good idea" Hunter said to him

"Why is that?" Christian questioned

"Because the last time you saw her you tried to strangle her" Punk shot at him

"What?" Hunter asked Punk then looked over to Christian "Maybe it's best if you leave now"

"You can't just throw me out of here. I'm a paying customer" Christian said waving his ticket around "And I paid top dollar for this seat" he grinned as he glanced over to AJ as she wrestled. Thankfully she hadn't seen Christian enter the small arena.

"Get out" Punk said standing up causing Hunter and Christian to both stand up as well

"You're not in charge around here Phil" Christian informed him

"No but I am" Hunter told him "Part of my job is to protect my talents- all of them"

"April isn't a talent and she certainly isn't yours" Christian informed Hunter coolly. "You can pay for her housing" he said to Hunter "And you could continue to pay for her family" he said glaring over to Punk "but make no mistake- I'm not going anywhere as long as April is here."

"I want you out or I'll have you thrown out" Hunter told him harshly. At this point AJ hit her opponent with the shinning wizard and was announced the winner after she got the 3 count and was excited to have her arm raised in victory for the first time. "Could be embarrassing if the press picks up on this" he said to Christian who just smirked that's when he looked over into the ring and saw AJ had spotted him. He clapped loudly for a few moments smiling at her then walked away.

* * *

AJ headed to the back quickly and slammed her locker room door shut and locked it. All the joy she felt from her match was all gone and now she was back in the familiar state of panic and fear. She leaned against the door and ignored all the knocks.

"AJ" she heard Punk's voice "Please open the door it's just me I swear"

"Is he gone?" AJ asked

"Yea he's gone" Punk promised and that's when AJ unlocked the door and let Punk in

"What was he doing here Phil?" AJ asked desperately "I thought it was done-"

"He's gone" Punk said cutting her off "He just wanted to show up and try to throw some weight around."

"He's not gone" AJ told him "He knows everything- you need to go now" she told him

"Why?" Punk asked

"He knows you're here to see me and you've done enough for me, leave before he makes things worse for you" AJ told him

"I'm not going anywhere until we get dinner" Punk told her coolly "You said we could"

"Phil" she sighed

"Relax" Punk smiled at her "It's just dinner, he can't control you anymore ok?"

"I don't want you to end up hurt" AJ told him

"I'm not afraid of Christian" Punk told her

"Your family-" AJ started but he cut her off

"I think a lot of your fears are over hyped by Christian himself" Punk told her "He's not god AJ. My family is fine and I will be too. Now go get changed so we can celebrate because as much as I like seeing you in barely any pants and a top small enough to fit a toddler I'd rather not have to fight every man for your attention"

"Ok" AJ said with a light smile

"I'll be right outside" Punk told her

"Why?" AJ asked as she lifted her top off and that left her in just her bra and shorts "You've already seen it all"

"Yea" Punk said as his eyes fell upon her chest and he didn't even try to hide it. She walked over to her bag and pulled out a longer t-shirt and a zip-up.

"You're going to have to live with me in the shorts unless you don't mind stopping by my hotel room before we go out to eat" AJ told him as he finally looked back up at her face

"As appealing as that sounds and believe me it does its best we just get dinner or we wouldn't make it out of the room" Punk told her bluntly causing her to giggle "Ready?" he asked as she grabbed her bag

"Yea let's go" she said feeling better already and smiled as Punk took her gym bag from her and opened her locker room door for her.

* * *

They went to a local diner that night and talked for over two hours. Punk was giving her some tips about her wrestling and what it's going to be like when she gets called up which he was now confident she would. They didn't bring up Christian once and he escorted her back to her hotel room.

"Thanks for dinner" AJ said to him as she stood outside her door "And all the free knowledge on wrestling"

"Anytime" Punk said to her "I mean it"

"So are you staying here too?" AJ asked

"Nah I'm staying with a friend" Punk told her

"Ok" she said knowing this was going to be the awkward part of the night, should she invite him? She knew she wanted to but did he even want to? "Do you want to come in?" she asked bravely

"I'd love that but it's not a good idea" Punk told her

"Yea" AJ agreed lightly

"It's not that I don't want to" Punk told her seriously "But you have a lot going on and I don't want to take advantage of that"

"Right" AJ said with a small nod and a forced smile "I get it you don't have to explain yourself to me"

"It's just-" Punk started as she opened her door

"It's fine" AJ assured him "Thanks again for coming to watch me tonight"

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world" Punk told her honestly as she kissed his cheek, much like she did the first time he walked her up to her room

"AJ wait" Punk said before she closed the door on him "I really want to come in but I want you to be really sure"

"I know I am but I want you to be sure" AJ said back to him Punk just leaned down and pulled her into a searing kiss and pushed his way into her room backing her in as he kicked the door closed…

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up with a smile on her face. She stretched her arms over her head and noticed Punk was gone. She sat up and became alarmed when she saw Christian sitting in a small chair in the corner of the room decked in his usual business suit.

"Don't worry he didn't ditch you" Christian told her as he sipped on a cocktail "He left a note" he said holding the small paper between his fingers "He went for breakfast and will be back shortly"

"What are you doing here Christian?" AJ asked holding her bed sheet up over her body

"You look great April" Christian said taking another small sip of his drink "You truly look like a whore. I hope you're proud of yourself"

"Get out" AJ demanded

"It's time to come home now April" Christian said to her coolly "You've had your fun, you wrestled a match but time is up now"

"I am home" AJ said to him coldly

"This crappy hotel room is your home?" Christian smirked "Please April you deserve better than this"

"I'm not leaving. I'm only getting started" AJ told him "I'm happy for the first time in a long time and isn't that what you always wanted for me?"

"I want to be happy" Christian clarified "And you make me happy"

"You don't make me happy" AJ said to him "And you really scared me last week I thought you were going to kill me"

"You know I don't get my own hands dirty April" Christian scoffed "But in my defense you made me really angry"

"Please just forget about me" AJ pleaded

"I can't you're burned into my brain…and my heart" Christian told her in a passionate voice "I've packed up some of your things. Get changed" he said standing up

"I'm not leaving!" AJ yelled

"It's enough April!" Christian shouted throwing his glass against the door and stalking over to her "I gave you your space but it's time to go now!"

"I'm not going anywhere" AJ yelled jumping out of the bed and wrapping the sheet around herself

"Stop this! It's time to grow up April!" He yelled grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking her roughly

"Get off of me!" AJ yelled trying to jerk away

"I will not let you sell your body out there! I won't let you give yourself away to the tattooed imbecile! And I certainly won't let you make a fool of me anymore!" he yelled "Go put some clothes on because this ends now!" before AJ knew it she felt Christian being tugged away from her and looked and saw him on the floor

"Phil" AJ said in a low voice. She had never seen anyone come at Christian like that but Punk wasn't hearing her because he was completely zoned in on his prey…Christian

"You're going to pay for that" Christian said touching his lip that was bleeding from the blow from Punk

"I can afford it" Punk seethed grabbing Christian by his suit and tossing him over the armchair. AJ watched in horror as Punk hit Christian repeatedly "Where's your crack staff now?" he mocked slapping Christian in the face

"Phil stop" AJ pleaded grabbing his arm

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Christian asked stunned as he stood up on his feet "Get your stuff April" he said to her

"She's not going anywhere with you" Punk told him harshly as AJ hid behind Punk's back

"If she doesn't want you thrown in jail for assault she will" Christian shot at him "Well April?"

"You wouldn't" AJ said to him but he just smirked

"Of course I would April" Christian said to her "Your stuff is ready get some clothes-"

"Call the cops" Punk said to him "You're the one that broke in here"

"I have a key" Christian said to him pulling out the room key "I actually am part owner of this hotel, did you not know that?"

"You did this on purpose" AJ frowned realizing that Christian knew Punk was here and would go after him.

"I didn't make all of this money because I'm stupid" Christian said to her "Phil I trust this will be our last encounter and also your last encounter with April so I hope you have a good memory and will remember it forever"

"Call the cops" Punk insisted

"You're going to go to jail, lose your title and your job over a woman you've known for about eight weeks?" Christian mocked

"I'll take my chances" Punk shot at him

"Phil no" AJ whispered "I'll go-"

"You'll go nowhere" Punk shot at her then looked over to Christian

"Ok" Christian laughed shaking his head "You're more of a challenge than I originally expected. I like that"

"Please Christian don't" AJ pleaded lightly

"Don't AJ" Punk said to her

"I'll tell you what" Christian said looking over Punk's shoulder towards AJ "I won't call the cops this time. But this is going to cost you April"

"Don't threaten her" Punk warned

"I'll cash in later" Christian said to her "And Phil you really are going to regret ever putting your hands on me….and April for that matter" he said to him "Good luck you'll both need it" and with that he walked out of the room

"Jesus" AJ muttered

"Are you ok?" Punk asked walking over to the door and putting the chain up

"Yea he was here when I woke up" AJ said to him

"I was only gone twenty minutes if that" Punk said to her

"He still might call the cops" AJ said to him "You should have just let me go"

"Are you insane?" Punk asked "That guy is certifiable and you're not going anywhere with him, over my dead body" he said to her seriously

"Do you have any idea what he could to you?" AJ asked him desperately "He has something up his sleeve that's why he didn't call the cops"

"It was an empty threat AJ" Punk told her "He doesn't want the bad publicity and he certainly doesn't want the press to know how he got his skinny ass kicked by some punk from Chicago"

"I thought it was done" AJ said to him "I need to figure out a way to take care of my parents so I can officially wash my hands of him" she said to him "Maybe if I go to Vince-"

"He's not taking care of your parents" Punk informed her "I am"

"What?" AJ asked stunned

"I saw him after I left Eve and Rener's and I told him I'd take care of them and I have ever since" Punk told her

"Why would you do that?" AJ asked stunned

"I don't want him to have any kind of power of you. And now he knows he doesn't and he's getting desperate" Punk told her

"I'll pay you back" AJ promised "Plus interest"

"I don't want your money AJ" Punk told her "I just want to help"

"You've gone above and beyond helping me" AJ said to him "How can I thank you?"

"Just keep wrestling" he told her

"There's got to be something more" AJ said to him then an idea clicked in her head as she unwrapped the sheet from around her body

"Oh" Punk said with a goofy grin "That's defiantly a way to thank me" he said to her as she pushed him on the bed so he was sitting and straddled his waist "This feels wrong" he said as she began to kiss his neck but pulled away when he said that "I mean it feels good" he said with a smirk "But you don't have to do this AJ, you don't have to thank me this way"

"Believe me this isn't just for you" she whispered against his ear as slowly nipped on his earlobe

"Ok if you insist" Punk muttered as AJ's hands moved to his shorts and slid them down his legs so they were down at his feet and that's when he stood up "Don't go" he said seriously and watched as she kneeled down in front of him and took his sneakers off and tossed his shorts across the room

"You always make me feel good….I just want to return the favor" she said before she leaned forward and took him into her mouth

"AJ" he hissed as he placed his hands into her ear. He used his grip on her to help her find a smooth rhythm as well "This was enough….I feel good" he told her not wanting to peak in her mouth. "AJ…baby" he said as she looked up at him but he could see a small smile as she went back at the task at hand and finished him off.

Another hour later Punk and AJ were wrapped up in her bed again.

"What are we?" AJ asked him

"What?" Punk asked with a laugh fighting the urge to close his eyes and sleep

"We're friends" AJ said to him

"Yea I'd say so" Punk smirked kissing the top of her head

"Are we more?" AJ asked "You don't have to answer that but I was just wondering are you with other women? Not that I care because obviously we've never established any rules or anything I was just curious"

"I don't want you with other men" Punk told her honestly "And I don't want to be with anyone who isn't you"

"So?" AJ asked

"You're making me feel like I'm in high school" Punk smirked "I haven't asked a girl to be my 'girlfriend' in ages"

"You want me to be your girlfriend?" she asked looking up at him

"I can't get you out of my head I can't even look at other women without thinking about you" Punk said to her "I wanted to distance myself from you because I thought Christian would give us a hard time but clearly he's going to do that anyway and obviously I can't stay away from you"

"It's going to be battle" AJ warned "This is nothing he can get worse"

"You're worth it" Punk said to her as he pulled her into another kiss

* * *

Christian was back in his car with his head of 'security'.

"Are you sure you don't want us to go in?" Jack questioned handing him an icepack "We can take him out and grab her easily"

"No" Christian said to him "That would be too good for them. You have his information right?"

"Yes" Jack said to him

"Wait a few days and don't move in until I give the word" Christian said to him "I want Pete watching him like a hawk, I want to know everything. And I mean _everything_"

"I could do that for you sir" Jack offered

"Your job is April" Christian told him "She goes nowhere without you not even into a public restroom"

"Done" he said simply "She won't know I'm watching"

"No I want her to know" Christian said to her "I want her to squirm, I want her to feel suffocated"

"What about Brooks?" Jack asked

"Don't be seen" Christian informed him "A surprise attack"

"How bad?" Jack asked

"I want him out of work for a while. I also want his face to look ten times worse than mine" Christian said in an angry voice "But I need more information on him first"

"Yes sir" Jack said as Christian looked up at the hotel from the outside "What about his sisters?"

"I gave my word and I am a man of my word" Christian said to him "But I didn't make the same promises to April about her own family. Book me a flight to Puerto Rico and make sure it leaks to the press. I want her to know where I am"


	10. Not Forever

**Chapter 10: Not Forever**

* * *

AJ drove Punk to the airport later that night, he had to be back in Chicago for Raw the following night but he was feeling uneasy about her being on her own.

"I'll be fine" AJ said as held as hand and the two walked into the airport together

"Yea I don't like it though" Punk said to her "We've got to try to get you into a hotel that Christian can't just walk in and out of"

"I think you made your point to him" AJ said to him "You hurt his ego, he'll be in hiding for a while"

"There's no one you can stay with?" Punk asked her "I mean no one else there that's also staying in the hotel?"

"This guy Dean is" AJ said with a simple shrug

"I mean female wise" Punk groaned

"You don't trust me?" AJ asked looking up at him

"It's not that, I don't trust other people" Punk said to her "You are one of the few I trust. I'm also not a control freak like Christian is believe me, you can have guy friends and hang out with whoever you want but I draw the line at bunking with other men" he told her causing her to giggle

"When will I see you again?" AJ asked

"When are you off?" Punk asked her

"Wednesday thru Saturday" AJ told him

"Me too" Punk smirked "How about I fly you out to Chicago? You can stay with me for a few days"

"Really?" AJ asked with a smile

"Yea I can show you around the City and take you to one of the best comic book shops ever" Punk told her and her eyes widened "I'll even introduce you to some friends"

"Ok" AJ agreed "I'm looking forward to it"

"Me too" he said "I've got to go I'll call you when I land" he said to her and she nodded as he leaned in and kissed her goodbye "Please be extra careful and put the chain up on your hotel room door as soon as you get back"

"I promise but be cautious yourself" AJ warned lightly

"I will" Punk said grabbing her hand and kissing it lightly "I'll see you in a few days"

"Yes you will" she smirked pulling away from him and waving as she walked away

As AJ headed to her car in the parking lot she spotted a familiar SUV and saw Christian's right hand man. He clearly wasn't trying to hide since his window was rolled down and he was parked directly in front of her he gave her a friendly wave as she quickly got into the car and started it up. As soon as she did Jack also started up his car and turned on his car lights. She expected this and knew she had been watch but they had never been so obvious about it before. She pulled out of her spot and sure enough Jack was blatantly following her. Luckily she was familiar with the streets of Tampa and after two hours of driving she was sure she had lost Jack finally.

"Yes!" She cheered lightly then frowned when her car slowed down. "Crap" she muttered noticing she was out of gas. She was so busy trying to lose Jack she didn't even pay attention to her gaslight going on about twenty minutes ago. "No, no, no" she said pulling over to the side of the road. She was down a quiet street that didn't really have many business but a few houses. She reached for her phone and figured now she'd have to call for help but dropped the phone when someone knocked on her window starling her.

"Need assistance Ms. Mendez?" Jack questioned with a large smile AJ just glared out of her car window and cringed.

* * *

Once Punk landed in Chicago he pulled out his phone and was about to call AJ but his phone started to ring.

"What?" Punk asked annoyed

"Where the hell are you?" Colt asked annoyed "I've been parked out here for like an hour"

"My flight was delayed I'll be right there" Punk told him as he headed outside with his luggage and found Colt easily

"About time" Colt groaned popping his trunk "So how was Tampa?"

"Great" Punk replied as he got into the car

"Better question- how's April?" Colt questioned as he drove away from the airport

"Really great" Punk grinned "Her first match was awesome"

"Cool" Colt said slowly "So did you spend anytime with her after the show?"

"Yea" Punk said to him "A lot of time actually"

"So you slept with her again?" Colt asked

"Not much sleeping but yea I guess" Punk shrugged while Colt grinned

"So what's the deal? Are you with her or not?" Colt questioned

"Why?" Punk asked annoyed

"Cliff wants to know and if you're not with her he'd like you to pass his number over to her" Colt told him

"She's with me" Punk told him

"About time" Colt grinned "Cliff will be crushed though but probably not as crushed at Mr. Scott will be"

"Yea he didn't seem to pleased with me last night" Punk said to him

"Sorry, what?" Colt asked "you saw him?"

"He showed up at the show" Punk informed him

"Creepy" Colt said with a shiver "You just never know when he's going to pop up, huh?"

"You have no idea" Punk snorted "This morning I ran out to get breakfast and when I came back in he was in AJ's room trying to drag her out of the hotel room"

"How the hell did he get in the room?" Colt asked

"He apparently owns everything" Punk muttered "He had a key and walked right in."

"What did you do?" Colt asked

"I hit him" Punk told him bluntly

"You can't just hit him!" Colt yelled "This guy will have you killed!"

"Please" Punk smirked "He's nothing but a thug in an over priced suit"

"Seriously man you need to check your temper at the door" Colt scolded lightly

"He had his hands on her" Punk told him slowly "It's an instinct and I can't turn it off. Speaking of I want to call her and make sure she's ok"

"How sweet" Colt grinned

"Shut up" Punk said to him as AJ's phone rang

"Hey" she said to him "You're home?"

"On my way" Punk said to her "What about you? Back at the hotel yet?"

"Yea I ran into some car trouble though" she told him

"What kind of trouble?" Punk asked "The car seemed fine"

"It was but when I left the airport I saw Jack- who works for Christian and he started to follow me" AJ started "I drove around trying to ditch him but I ran out of gas"

"He was following you?" Punk asked annoyed

"Yep and when my car broke down he tried to help me" AJ told him "But I kept my doors locked and called AAA"

"Good" Punk said to her

"I'm pretty sure he's at the hotel" AJ said to him "But I expected him to have someone here"

"You need to talk to Hunter about having your hotel moved" Punk said to her

"No way! The fact that he's putting me up is enough I can't get picky" AJ told him

"AJ someone is staying in the hotel with the sole purpose of following you, you need to get out as soon as possible" Punk said

"He'll find me anyway" AJ told him "I'm just worried they'll follow me to Chicago. I don't want them lurking around your place because of me"

"He already knows where I live" Punk reminded her "I'd feel better having you here on my home turf anyway"

"Ok" AJ sighed "I'm going to take a shower and try to get some sleep, I'll be watching you tomorrow night"

"You better" Punk smirked into the phone

"I'm not sure how easy its going to be sleep though" AJ admitted "I like falling asleep next to you or on top of you or my personal favorite underneath you" she said seductively causing Punk to groan slightly

"I really want to continue this conversation in a lot more detail to help me get through this night but I'm not alone" Punk said glancing over to Colt

"Have your weird sex conversation just pretend I'm not here" Colt said casually as he kept his eyes on the road

"Sorry" AJ giggled

"I'll call you in the morning and if anything seems off call me" Punk told her

"I will goodnight" AJ said to him

"Goodnight" Punk said then hung up

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up at seven like she usually did and got ready to go for her run like she did every morning. She headed into the lobby and saw Jack was sitting in the waiting area. He was sipping a coffee and reading the morning paper when he noticed her he smiled and raised his coffee up to her before taking another sip.

"Great" AJ muttered annoyed as she headed outside and noticed Jack had stood up and followed her.

* * *

Punk headed into the arena for Raw. He loved live shows in Chicago but he couldn't help but feel like he shouldn't be here tonight. He was very worried about AJ's safety and didn't sleep a wink last night. She had kept in constant touch but he still didn't feel right about any of this.

"Hey Punk" Paul Heyman grinned walking over to the current champion

"Hey" Punk said to him

"You look like hell" Paul noted "Everything ok?"

"Yea" Punk said brushing it off "I didn't really sleep well"

"You never do" Paul noted "But it looks like you have something on your mind"

"I'm good Paul" Punk said to him

"Your thoughts aren't being clouded by a tiny dark hair future Diva's champion are they?" Paul questioned

"You heard about that?" Punk asked

"Oh please who hasn't" Paul chuckled "It's all over including the Internet and not just wrestling sites either. Christian Scott is kind of a big deal and the media loves how some grungy Chicago punk whisked away his girlfriend"

"Gee thanks" Punk muttered

"I like her" Paul told him "I've seen her work and watched her train and she's something special, reminds me of you when you first breaking into WWE actually"

"I like her" Punk confided "A lot"

"I can see that" Paul said to him "So why the lack of sleep?"

"Christian Scott is a pretty scary guy" Punk said

"Did he threaten you?" Paul asked stunned

"Not just me but AJ too" Punk told him "I'm not worried about me it's her. He got a key to her room and just waltzed right in, he got her evicted from her home- I'm afraid he's going to hurt her and I'm here and she's in Tampa"

"She's still staying in a hotel?" Paul asked

"Yea and Christian Scott's right hand man is camped out in the lobby. He followed her while she went on a run" Punk told him

"I have a place in Tampa" Paul told him "It's small but enough room for her she can stay there"

"Are you sure?" Punk asked

"Yea absolutely" Paul told him "You remember where it is right?" and he nodded "I'll drop the keys off to you tomorrow just pass them on to her"

"I really appreciate it" Punk told him

"Is there anything else I can do?" Paul asked

"No that's good" Punk said to him

"I hope you're taking some precaution yourself" Paul said to him

"I can handle Christian" Punk mocked

"But can you handle fifteen of his hired thugs jumping you at one time?" Paul questioned "He has money and respect"

"He doesn't have mine" Punk told him "My focus is AJ"

"Please be careful" Paul frowned "Any try to relax because Christian is out of town this week so I'm sure AJ will be fine"

"How do you know that?" Punk asked

"He's in Puerto Rico it's all over the TV. He donated a ton of a money to a school out there" Paul told him

"Did you say Puerto Rico?" Punk questioned and Paul nodded

"Why?" Paul asked

"AJ's family lives in Puerto Rico" Punk frowned

"I'm sure it's fine" Paul said to him "What could he possibly do?"

"You can't put anything past him" Punk told him

* * *

AJ was sitting in her hotel room waiting for Raw to start. She had already missed Punk so much it was strange to her so seeing him on live TV was going to have to due for now. Her phone rang and saw her mother's number pop up.

"Hi mom" AJ said casually as she kept her eyes on the TV

"Hi April" Christian said happily

"Christian?" AJ asked stunned "What are you doing?"

"I was in Puerto Rico and thought I'd drop in my in-laws" Christian told her

"Get out of there and leave them alone" AJ warned

"Don't be silly April" Christian smirked into the phone "How are you? I was just telling your family about your first match"

"Please Christian" AJ pleaded lightly

"I love it when you beg" Christian whispered "Relax we're having a good time and eating dinner I just wish you could be here with us, next time though"

"There won't be a next time" AJ told him

"We'll see about that" Christian told her coolly "I'll be in Tampa in a few days and I want to see you"

"Just have Jack take a picture" AJ shot at him

"He does" Christian told her bluntly "But I'd rather have the real deal. It's been a lonely couple of weeks April and we have a lot of time to make up for"

"You're starting to scare me" AJ told him honestly "Just stop all of this"

"You stop it" Christian shot back at her "I'll see you on Thursday I've picked you up a few gifts"

"Keep them" AJ said then hung up her phone

* * *

After Raw Punk was feeling good. He was starting a big story with John Cena and was excited to see AJ in a few days. He had spoken to AJ right before he left the arena and she seemed ok (obviously leaving out the Christian called her part of her evening). As he approached his car he noticed someone leaning on the hood of it.

"Move or get run over" Punk said as he walked over to his car

"Phil Brooks" The man said with a smile

"Great" Punk muttered dropping his bag down to his feet

"It's kind of reckless to travel alone and stay so late after a show" the man said to him

"So I'm assuming you work for Christian Scott?" Punk asked

"That's right" the man said to him "So do they" he said as four other large man approached

"Ok" Punk said taking his zip-up off "Let's get this over with"

"You think you could take all five of us?" The man mocked

"Maybe" Punk shrugged smugly "Maybe not. But I'll have fun trying"

"Mr. Scott was right about you" the man smirked "You are stupid."

"Maybe I am" Punk smirked "But I'm also not a coward"

"These men aren't here for you Mr. Brooks" the man told him "We just wanted to drop by since we're going to be in town for a while. We just wanted to introduce ourselves"

"Nice to meet you all" Punk remarked sarcastically "Get off my car now then"

"We're looking forward to meeting Ms. Mendez" the man told Punk which stopped Punk from getting in his car

"What did you just say?" Punk asked turning to face the man

"We're Mr. Scott's 'problem solvers'" the man said to him coolly

"She's not his problem" Punk told him "He also wouldn't let you put a hand on her he'd much rather do that himself I'm sure"

"Mr. Scott wants results" the man told him "She's a pretty little thing. Do you think you'll still want touch her when her face is all deformed?"

"Don't threaten her" Punk warned getting in the man's face

"It's not a threat" the man told him "Mr. Scott has been very good to Ms. Mendez and what she's done isn't right and we're going to see to it that it gets rectified" as soon as he finished talking Punk grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and threw him onto the hood of his car

"I will kill you" Punk seethed as the other men stood where they were, Punk wasn't sure why they hadn't jumped him yet

"You can fix it" the man said to him as Punk let go of him "Walk away from her now. Because if she gets off that's plane and steps one foot in Chicago she'll be flying back to Tampa on a medical bed"

"You're lying" Punk said shaking his head "You think you scare me? You really think I believe Christian would have the woman he loves beaten?"

"Like I said he wants results" the man told him

"If you come at me again or even think of going near AJ I will end you" Punk threatened

"Ok" the man said to him as he pulled out his phone "Hey Jack" he said and Punk knew he was talking to the man currently watching AJ "Mr. Brooks has declined our offer….yea please keep your eyes on her and make sure you're on the same flight….I know we won't go that far with her…yes I know she's very small but my boys like that" he said with a laugh "…ok see you in a few days" then hung up "Are you sure about this? Hurting a woman is the last thing I want to do even if she deserves it"

"If you think you're going to get her you're going to have to get through me" Punk warned the man "And that won't be easy" as soon as Punk finished that statement someone from behind him hit in the back of his knee with a led pipe causing him to crash to the ground. It only took a second for the rest of the men to jump in, he was being hit with the pipe, kicked and punched all at the same time. There was no way for him to fight back.

"I think it will be easy" the man said to him with a laugh "That's enough boys" he told the four men who slowly backed away and they left Punk bleeding and unconscious on the ground.

* * *

Punk opened his eyes slowly and saw he was in a hospital room. The sound of the 'beeping' really irritated him.

"It's about time" Colt said annoyed

"Why am I here?" Punk asked slowly

"You got the shit kicked out of you last night" Colt reminded him "What happened dude?"

"I don't remember" Punk said sitting up slowly

"Well from what I heard a few of the guys found you by your car in a pool of your own blood" Colt told him "Your knee is all messed up, your face looks like it's been through a meat grinder and you have some of the nastiest bruises I've ever seen in my life" And now it was coming back to Punk

"I need my phone" Punk said to him

"You need to relax" Colt said to him

"I need to call AJ" Punk told her

"So this was about Christian?" Colt asked "I was kidding around before but seriously is she worth it?"

"Damn it Colt give me my phone!" Punk shouted

"You won't be able to reach her" Colt said to him "I called her last night and she took a flight this morning out"

"No" Punk said horrified "Call her tell her no!"

"What is your deal?" Colt asked standing up "Do you want her or not?"

"They're going to do this to her!" Punk yelled

"What?" Colt asked "What the hell is going on?"

"The guys that did this said they'd do this to her" Punk told him slowly but his voice was loud "They said if I didn't walk away from her they'd hurt her. I called their bluff and look at me now"

"Doesn't mean they'd hurt her" Colt told him "That's a little radical don't you think?"

"You need to go get her" Punk told him "Bring a few guys with you because there's five of them I think…..plus the one that's always watching her"

"You sound insane" Colt laughed

"I'm not insane!" Punk yelled surprising Colt "I'll go myself then" he said throwing the bed sheet off of himself

"No, no just relax I'll go" Colt said to him

"Don't go alone" Punk warned

"Fine" Colt said grabbing his jacket in keys "Just stay here and I'll bring her right over"

"Seriously watch your back" Punk said to him and Colt just nodded before leaving the room

* * *

As soon as AJ stepped off her plane she grabbed her luggage and decided to hail a taxi.

"Ms. Mendez" the man who approached Punk last said behind her and she slowly turned around

"Pete" AJ said coldly "What did you do?"

"Nothing" Pete said to her "I'm here to offer you a ride" he said opening the back door to his SUV open "Get in"

"I'm not going anywhere with you" AJ said to him

"We need to talk Ms. Mendez and this isn't the venue" Pete told her "Get in or I'll make you get in"

"Don't be difficult" Jack said coming up behind AJ and now she was sandwiched between the two men "Get in the car"

"I'll scream" AJ threatened

"And I'll rip your tongue out of your throat" Pete threatened "Go ahead then I'll head over to the hospital and finish what I started with Mr. Brooks"

"Ok" AJ said giving in

"AJ!" a voice shouted jogging over to her "Thought I missed you" AJ had no idea who this was "I'm Colt"

"Phil's friend" AJ said more to herself

"He wanted me to pick you up" Colt said to her then looked at the two men "I'll give her a ride don't worry about it boys"

"Ms. Mendez is coming with us" Pete told him as Jack stepped towards Colt

"I'm not alone" Colt told them pointing over to a few other men, AJ assumed they were all in the wrestling business. "It's not just one on four this time"

"Ok" Pete said "Ms. Mendez will pick this up later"

"I don't think so" AJ said grabbing her bag and walking over to Colt "I hope you both burn in hell" she replied casually causing Colt to grin

"I can see why Punk likes you so much" Colt whispered to her as they headed over to his car and his friend

* * *

Once AJ arrived at the hospital Colt decided to give her and Punk some privacy.

"Oh Phil" she said feeling herself start to cry upon seeing how banged up he really was

"I'm ok" Punk said as she walked over to the bed

"No you're not" AJ said "I am so sorry"

"You're tough but you didn't do this to me" he teased lightly "Did you have any issues at the airport"

"Yea a few Christian's guys were there but your friends showed up thankfully" AJ told him

"Good" Punk sighed already feeling better "We need to discuss some sort of safety measure for you" he started

"No" AJ said to him "You've done enough and you've suffered enough" she informed him

"I'm fine" Punk told her "I'm not even going to miss work"

"He's with my family in Puerto Rico last night" AJ told him "I called my mom this morning and told her everything"

"How did that go?" Punk asked

"Her and my dad are moving into a smaller place that they can afford on their own so you don't have to pay there way anymore" AJ told him

"I don't mind" Punk insisted

"I do" AJ said to him "The entire night all I could think of is how I've depended on men and that's what got me into this situation with Christian"

"I'm not Christian and I would never hold anything against you" Punk told her

"I know" she smiled briefly "You've been nothing short of amazing to me and that's why this is going to be the last time we're going to see each other"

"What?" Punk asked her

"I can't let them hurt you" AJ told him "And it was my mistake to jump into something with you so quickly. I knew you'd end up like this and I knew you'd protect me and that's not right"

"I'm a grown man AJ" Punk said to her "I knew what I was getting myself into"

"I need to work on me" AJ told him "Work on being independent and get rid of Christian myself"

"AJ" Punk started

"You know I'm right" AJ said to him "You know this will get worse before it gets better and I'm sure I'll end up in this same hospital as bed as you soon as well" Punk hitched a breath at the thought "I'm sure that's what Pete told you. That's his specialty. He doesn't have a moral code"

"I can handle him" Punk told her

"You shouldn't have to" AJ told him confidently "I love you too much to let you sacrifice everything you've worked for" she had never told him she loved him but he felt it. "You know this is the right thing to do" Punk didn't comment because deep down he was considering the same thing

"I don't like it" he muttered "I'm worried about you"

"I'll be fine" AJ assured him "You've given me so much confidence and strength and I feel as if I can take on anyone or anything. Let me worry about Christian"

"So this is it?" Punk asked her

"For now, not forever" AJ told him "I'll still be in FCW working"

"How do I know you'll be safe?" Punk asked her

"I'll stay in touch" she promised "But I'm not going to watch you get hurt because of me"

"Promise me something" Punk started

"Anything" she said to him

"If this gets to be too much, if you need a way out- anything at all you call me" Punk told her in a very serious voice

"Ok" AJ assured him sweetly as she held back tears "Please take care of yourself"

"I was going to tell you the same thing" Punk said sadly as she leaned over and kissed him one last time. As AJ pulled away she was now fully crying. Punk wanted to fight her on this but he knew this was the only option at the moment, he wasn't mad at her but more himself and he watched her practically run out of the room and slam the door.

"I love you too" he muttered once she was gone.

* * *

**A/N: And that's the end! Hope you all enjoyed this story and thank you for all the reviews! I'm obviously just kidding (except for the gratitude over the reviews because I really do appreciate it!).**


	11. Six Months Later

**Chapter 11: Six Months Later…**

* * *

It's been six months, six months since AJ walked out of Punk's hospital room and didn't look back. The minute he was out of the hospital he called her but she never answered and never called back. She also didn't respond to his text messages he had sent her over time and he stopped trying to get in touch with her altogether about four months ago. She was still dealing with Christian for the most part but she knew that was going to end as well. She had enjoyed being on her own but missed Punk terribly. She watched him every week on Raw and he was now a heel and one of the best she had ever seen. He was working with Paul Heyman and was about to become the longest reigning champion of the modern era.

As for FCW she was doing great and had gotten the call that she was being called up finally. They wanted her to work with another up and comer and she was excited. Of course she was nervous about seeing Punk again, it had been so long- did he know she was coming up? Well he was about to find out because she had been invited to Raw even though she knew what it was like since she had worked backstage for so long they wanted her to know what it was like to be a superstar backstage.

Once she entered the arena she was greeted by a few familiar faces and she smiled as she caught up with Dolph and a few of the other guys she worked with.

"Hey!" Eve grinned running towards her and pulling her into a hug "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too" AJ said happily.

"Look at you" Eve smiled stepping away to eye AJ "You look fit, tan and happy!"

"Well this was my dream and I'm finally living it" AJ told her "Thanks to you and Phil"

"We put in the good word but it was you who did all the work. You should be proud of yourself" Eve told her "So are you excited about being called up?"

"That's one feeling" AJ gushed "Nervous and scared are other ones"

"You'll do great" Eve assured her "I heard they're pairing you with Nick"

"Dolph?" AJ asked "They hadn't told me yet"

"Oh well I hope I didn't ruing the surprise" Eve smirked

"So how's Phil?" AJ asked

"He's ok" Eve said to her

"Does he know I'm here?" AJ asked

"I think so" Eve said to her "When I heard you were called up I told him and he seemed to have already knew"

"Is he mad?" AJ asked

"You did the right thing" Eve insisted "He may or may not have seen that way but everyone else did"

"So he is mad" AJ smirked

"He's Punk" Eve shrugged simply still not giving her answer "He's been kind of an ass the last few months to everyone so don't take it personally"

"I'll try" AJ said to him "I'll just try to stay out of his way"

"That's what everyone tries to do these days" Eve informed her

"I'm sure he's not that bad" AJ said to her

"The way he is on TV is exactly the way he's acting backstage" Eve told her "But moving on how are things with Christian?"

"I'd like to think he's gotten the hint but he still shows up randomly and I still feel like I'm being watched sometimes" she confided

"That is so creepy" Eve said to her

"It got a lot better once I left Phil" AJ told her "He hates that I'm away from him but he's happier that I'm not with anyone else"

"So are you going to be alone forever?" Eve asked

"I need to keep the people I love safe" AJ told her

"And Punk is one of those people?" Eve asked

"He's the number one person" AJ said to her

* * *

Punk was taping up his wrists and marking them for the night when he saw Paul making his way over.

"Are you ready champ?" Paul asked with a grin

"Yup" Punk said coolly "Ryback is all muscle and no brains. It's going to be hard to put on a match practically by myself but I'm sure I'll make it work"

"That's the spirit!" Paul cheered slapping Punk on his shoulder "You know who I bumped into just before?"

"Who?" Punk asked his friend

"AJ" Paul told him

"Who?" Punk asked seriously

"Come on" Paul frowned "Don't be like that"

"Be like what?" Punk asked placing his marker down

"She looks hot" Paul told him honestly "I mean clearly-"

"I don't want to talk about her" Punk told him coldly

"You do realize she did what she did to keep you safe, right?" Paul questioned

"I don't need anyone to keep me safe" Punk shot at him "She walked out on me."

"She was smart and brave" Paul said to him "She did what you were to weak to do" he told his friend honestly

"Don't bring her up again" Punk warned

"Get used to it Phil because she's here now and she's going to start traveling with us as well" Paul told him but Punk just walked away as he continued to talk.

* * *

As Punk made his way to his locker room he passed AJ and Eve talking. AJ stopped talking and looked over to Punk but he looked straightforward and kept on walking as if he had never known her.

"Give it some time" Eve whispered to AJ

"It's like he doesn't even know me" AJ said to him "I didn't want that I just wanted him safe"

"He probably hates that reasoning too" Eve said to him "He's a pretty prideful man. He'd rather be the protector than the protected."

"I don't' care if he hates me" AJ said firmly "I kept him safe and I won't let him make me feel bad about that"

"Good for you" Eve said proudly "You seem more confidant and self assured"

"I've been on my own for months now and I've learned to take care of myself" AJ told her proudly "It's been an awesome experience"

AJ watched from backstage as Punk opened the show. She watched him work his magic on the microphone with Paul Heyman at his side. She then watched as Ryback beat him down. She cringed when he hit the mat knowing he was probably really hurting. It took five minutes for Punk to make it to the backstage area with Paul at his side.

"Where is he?" Punk demanded as AJ watched from a short distance

"Just leave it alone" Paul instructed

"He could have crushed my skull!" Punk shouted "I'm giving him the honor of being in the ring with me and that's how he thanks me? He's sloppy!"

"Cool down" Paul warned

"I won't cool down!" Punk yelled in a mocking voice

"Let's get you to the trainers and ice that neck" Paul said trying to lead him away

"No!" Punk yelled jerking away "I'm sick of all this crap!" he then stormed off passing AJ yet again and not even acknowledging he knew her

"Is he ok?" AJ asked as Paul approached her

"He'll be fine" Paul said to her "He's been tense lately"

"I've never see him act that way" AJ said to him

"He's got a lot on his plate right now" Paul said to her "I'd say you should try to talk to him but he's really not in the right frame of mind"

"He has to get over it" AJ said to him "I'm here and I'm going to be here for a long time. I get he's upset but he knows why I did it"

"Give him some time" Paul told her

"Does he know you've been helping me?" AJ asked him

"No" Paul said with a laugh "And I appreciate you not telling him."

"Why? You've been so great to me" AJ frowned "Putting me up in your home, training me in promos and you're the one that talked creative into calling me up"

"I don't know how he would feel with me knowing how you were and not telling him" Paul admitted "He went to your hotel to see you and you weren't there"

"He did? When?" AJ asked

"About a week after you left him Chicago. When he came back he asked me if I had heard anything about where you were staying and I lied to him" Paul said to her "I lied to him because you asked me not to tell him and I agreed to keep it between us because I knew you did the right thing but he won't see it that way"

"I won't say a word" AJ promised him

"Good" Paul smiled "So have you heard about your upcoming story?"

"I thought I would be working with one of the guys from FCW" AJ frowned "Then Eve told me Dolph Ziggler so I'm really not sure at all"

"I heard they were thinking Cena" Paul told her honestly

"What?" AJ asked stunned "They want me to work with the face of the company?"

"He's hurt and needs a story" Paul shrugged "They asked if I thought you could handle it and I told them you could do anything"

"Thanks but I'm not too sure" AJ told him nervously

"You'll do great" Paul assured "And we've discussed your confidence you need to not lose that" he reminded her "The only way you'll make it here is if you talk the talk and back it up at the end of the day and I know you can" he encouraged

"Thanks Paul" AJ said giving him a warm hug

"Enjoy the rest of the show" Paul said to her as he pulled away

"Thanks I will" AJ said before walking away, as Paul turned around he bumped right into Punk

"What was that about?" Punk asked Paul

"What was what?" Paul asked in his typical innocent voice

"With AJ" Punk said annoyed "What are you doing?"

"I was simply wishing her luck" Paul assured him

"I can't have you paling around with her" Punk told him

"Why?" Paul asked "I like AJ"

"Because I can't be around her or have a reminder of her" Punk told him

"You need to really cut her some slack" Paul scolded "This is new and hard for her as well. It's not easy to be on your own"

"She didn't have to be" Punk said to him "I could have been there for her but she broke it off with me"

"She did it for you" Paul told him "Talk to her and clear the air at least. You have too much history to avoid her like this"

* * *

As Punk entered his private locker room he was surprised to see AJ sitting on his couch.

"Get out" was the first two words out of his mouth

"Don't be cruel" AJ said calmly

"You're the cruel one" Punk reminded her "And I have nothing to say to you and I want you out of my room" he said opening the door

"I'm going to be here for a while" AJ informed him "We need to get past this"

"I work with a lot of people I hate AJ I can avoid you like I do them" Punk told her coldly

"I didn't realize you hated me" AJ said trying to hide the hurt in her voice and that's when Punk slammed the door closed

"How did you think I would feel?" Punk demanded "You told me you'd stay in touch"

"It was easier this way" AJ said to him

"Easier for you" Punk said to her "I never thought of you as selfish but clearly I was wrong. I was in the hospital for days because of you- because I stood up for you and you just walked out on me!"

"I wanted you safe!" AJ yelled

"And that's what I wanted for you!" Punk shouted back "Are you safe?" he asked her in a calmer voice "I haven't heard much about Christian"

"I'm not completely free but it's better" AJ admitted

"What does that mean?" Punk asked

"It's not your concern" AJ told him standing up "And I didn't come here to talk about him"

"That's right you're not my concern" Punk said to her "I don't know what I was thinking ever getting involved with you"

"Ok" AJ said sadly

"Don't play victim here April you did this not me" He reminded her coldly

"I just wanted to say hi" AJ defended "My mistake" she said starting to walk past him

"One of many" Punk muttered before she reached the door handle

"This hasn't been easy for me either Phil" AJ shot at him harshly

"How sad for you" Punk mocked pouting his lip

"You're such a dick" AJ muttered

"No I'm not I'm real" Punk shot at her

"This isn't you" AJ said shaking her head "This isn't you at all!"

"You don't even know me!" He yelled getting in her face

"I do know you!" AJ yelled back not backing down "You're sweet and respectful- this isn't you!"

"You made me this way" Punk told her coldly "Thank yourself for my new attitude"

"Don't put the blame on me" AJ warned "I'm done taking the blame for the men in my life"

"Don't you dare put me in the same category as him" Punk warned going almost nose-to-nose with her

"Than stop acting like him" AJ told him with venom in her voice

"Get out and don't come back" Punk said stepping away

"Whatever you say Phil" AJ said trying to stay strong

"Don't call me that" Punk said annoyed "You've lost that right you can call me Punk like all the other insignificant people in my life"

"No" AJ told him bravely causing his eyes to widen

"No?" Punk laughed

"No" AJ repeated "I'm done being told what to do or how to act and I'll call you whatever the hell I want to because whether you like it or not we met something to each other so stop acting like a baby who spilled his milk and grow up!"

"We barely meant anything to each other. We slept together" Punk pointed out "And believe me honey I've had better."

"That's what you're going to stoop to now?" AJ questioned "Mocking me for my performance in bed? You're really desperate to hurt me"

"It's the truth" Punk told her simply

"I never heard you complaining" AJ said with a sly smile "You always came back for more"

"And you always came" Punk retorted with a large smile

"Wow" AJ said with a laugh "Well I hope you enjoyed your time because it won't happen again"

"Isn't that why you're here?" Punk asked folding his arms dramatically "You're looking for a little action? Did you run through all the FCW guys? Or has Christian scared off every guy that looks your way and now you have an itch that needs to be scratched and you came to the one guy who wasn't afraid to touch you?"

"Believe me Punk I'm not here because I want to sleep with you" AJ mocked

"Are you sure" Punk asked inching closer to her

"I can take care of myself" AJ said to him

"Luckily for me I don't have that problem" Punk said with a smile "I'm kept satisfied every night honey and you are the furthest thing from my mind"

"I doubt that" AJ grinned "And if you were really so satisfied I'm sure you wouldn't be ripping everyone's head off. It looks to me like you have a lot of pent up aggression but don't feel bad for me Phil because I've had better too" she whispered as her lips were an inch away from his and she reached up Punk waited for their lips to connect but instead she kissed his cheek

"No you haven't" Punk said and before she could respond he leaned down and pulled her into a rough and bruising kiss, one that AJ didn't want to respond to but she was powerless against him. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. A minute later AJ was pressed against the door that she was about to walk out of a few minutes ago.

"I knew you missed me" AJ whispered as he started to kiss down her neck

"This will work better if you kept your mouth shut" Punk seethed into her ear as he reached for the button of her shorts and then unzipped them. Once they were off and her panties he lifter her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist

"What are you waiting for?" AJ asked with a smirk and before she knew it he was entering her as hard as he possibly could "Oh!" she yelled out at her head hit the back of the door

"There's no one better than me" Punk said roughly against her neck as he continued his quick movements in and our of her body

"Oh god" AJ moaned loudly as her lower body hit the door repeatedly

"You always liked it rough" Punk grinned before pulling her into another kiss to keep her moans down

"I just always liked it with you" AJ said to him catching his eyes briefly but he couldn't let her large innocent eyes effect him now, he continued his boarder line painful thrusts into her until they both hit their climaxes.

* * *

As AJ pulled her shorts back on and buttoned them up she looked over to Punk but he had a blank expression as he threw on some shorts and a t-shirt

"Doesn't change anything" Punk told her "I can't have you in my life"

"Fine" AJ said slowly as she opened the door and as she did another female walked in

"Hi baby!" the perky woman cheered causing AJ to look at her strangely and watched as she walked over to Punk and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tongue filled kiss

"Hi" he grinned as she pulled away as AJ watched in shock

"You're all sweaty" the women frowned

"Yea" Punk said with a smirk

"Hi" the woman smiled turning to face AJ "Who are you?"

"This is AJ she's new" Punk told her before AJ could respond

"And you are?" AJ asked politely as she shook her hand and eyed the tall blonde women curiously

"Jamie" she smiled

"My girlfriend" Punk added and it felt like AJ had been stabbed directly in the heart

"Oh" AJ said with a forced smile

"I'll leave you guys alone" She said walking towards the door

"We'd appreciate it" Punk added getting one last jab in on AJ as she walked out of the door.

* * *

**A/N: So where is Christian? And who is this tramp with Punk? Have things been as easy AJ let on? And how great is it that Paul and AJ are actually friends in this story?**


	12. Paid In Full

**Chapter 12: Paid In Full**

* * *

AJ grabbed her bag and jumped into her rental and she knew this was a safe place for her to cry. She had been imagining being with Punk again but not like that, rough and against a door only to be crushed some more when his new girlfriend walked in the room right after. But the smug face he made at her when she introduced Jamie as his 'girlfriend' hurt her even more. He wanted her to feel this way, the same as he did.

She headed to her hotel and as she entered the lobby and waited by the elevator. She just wanted to forget all about Punk and Jamie for the rest of the night. This was not how she wanted to start out her new job. As soon as the elevator doors opened Punk and Jamie were laughing as they stepped off together.

"Hi" Jamie said with a smile as she walked out ahead of Punk

"April" Punk said politely as he lightly tapped Jamie on her butt as they passed her. AJ just forced a smile and stepped onto the elevator. Clearly they were heading to the gym, something she and Punk did together but again she wouldn't let him win or let him see he was getting the best of her.

As she entered her room she gasped upon seeing a familiar face sitting in a chair in her room.

"Not tonight" AJ muttered shaking her head

"It's been a while" Christian told her coolly as he placed his drink down and stood up "I've missed you" he said kissing her cheek lightly

"Get out" AJ instructed annoyed

"I just wanted to wish you luck. I'm proud of you April" Christian told her

"Right" AJ bit back "I'm sure you're really proud"

"I am" Christian confirmed "You've proven me wrong and I'm man enough to admit it"

"Not man enough to take a hint though" AJ muttered

"I've left you alone" Christian defended

"Jack still follows me" AJ reminded him "It's annoying"

"Life isn't fair April" Christian said to her "How's Phillip?"

"You should know that I don't have any contact with him" AJ told him

"I do know that and for that I'm happy" Christian told her bluntly "I was thinking we could have dinner tonight"

"I'd rather throw myself out of this window" AJ shot at him

"Stop with the dramatics" Christian laughed

"Get out or I'll call security and believe me I know you don't have any money in this hotel, I double check now" AJ said folding her arms

"It still won't keep me out of your room" Christian grinned "But before I go can we at least discuss your hair? It's far too dark and long-"

"Out!" AJ yelled opening the door

"April this isn't going to last" Christian told her as he walked towards the door

"It's been six months Christian" AJ reminded him "And I'm doing just fine"

"Life changes in a day" he said smugly "I'll see you again shortly" he said as AJ slammed the door in his face.

* * *

As Christian entered the lobby he spotted Punk grabbing two bottles of water and heading towards the gym and couldn't resist. He smiled lightly then headed into the gym that was fairly empty.

"Mr. Brooks" Christian said coming up behind him. Punk was joking around with Jamie when he heard the familiar voice he had thought he had forgotten.

"What the hell do you want?" Punk asked turning around

"I saw you passing by and thought I'd say hello" Christian told him calmly "Hi there" he said reaching to shake Jamie's hand but Punk slapped it away

"Give us a minute" Punk said to Jamie who looked worried but just nodded and walked away

"Not much of an upgrade from April" Christian noted

"Don't look at her" Punk warned "And don't even try to talk to her"

"There's that loyal protective side" Christian beamed "You're like a dog in that way…and other ways"

"Don't come near me again" Punk warned "I owe you for that beating I took a few months back"

"I read about that in the paper. It was terrible but I was in Puerto Rico during that time" Christian reminded him

"Right" Punk smirked "Get out of here"

"April just said the same thing to me" Christian left "It's weird how you two didn't work out and you both are so similar"

"Is that way you follow me around?" Punk asked "I hate to break it to you but I don't swing that way"

"I don't either but you know that already" Christian said to him

"Don't come around anymore" Punk warned "Leave me alone"

"Wherever April is where I'll be" Christian told him "Looks like you and I are going to be spending more time together"

"She doesn't want anything to do with you" Punk reminded him "You're looking more pathetic than you did before"

"I'm making headway I think" Christian told him smugly "April and I have unbreakable bond"

"Whatever" Punk said brushing it off "Keep it to yourselves and stay out of my way"

"You're really mad at her" Christian laughed "That's cute"

"That's what you wanted right?" Punk asked him tilting his head "You've got your wish so now you can obsess over AJ all you want without my interference"

"You wouldn't mind?" Christian asked

"Help yourself" Punk mocked as he started to turn around

"Maybe I'll go upstairs right now" Christian said to him "She's in room 615 as a matter of fact." He said out loud "I'm mad at her too Phil" he told him as Punk slowly turned around "Difference between us is I know what do with my anger." He said to him coldly "April was terrible to us both but don't worry Phil" he said as he leaned over to him "I'll leave a few marks for you" he said with a wink as he pulled away then walked out of the room leaving Punk speechless.

"Baby?" Jamie asked walking over to him "Are you ready?"

"No" Punk said to her "I've got to go check on something start without me" he said suddenly not liking the idea of Christian being so close to AJ

"But Punky" Jamie pouted

"Sorry I've got to go" Punk said quickly before he literally ran out of the gym, leaving Jamie on her own.

* * *

Punk took the stairs all the way to the sixth floor knowing it would be faster than waiting for an elevator. He remembered Christian saying AJ was in room 615 and jogged down to her and banged on his with his close fist.

"AJ!" he yelled waiting for her to open it "AJ open this door or I will kick it down!" he yelled but there was no response and now he was nervous. He knocked a few more times but still no response "Damn it!" he yelled loudly looking around then decided to just kick the door in. He looked around the room and saw no one there.

"What the hell are you doing!" AJ yelled walking out of the bathroom in a robe and her hair still wet, she was obviously just in the shower.

"Where is he?" Punk asked looking around and walked into her bathroom

"Who?" she asked confused

"I saw Christian downstairs he said he was coming up here" Punk told her

"He was already here like twenty minutes ago" AJ told him "He left"

"He's still here" Punk warned

"Did you really break my door?" AJ asked annoyed trying to close it

"How can you be so calm about this?" Punk demanded

"Because he does this when he's bored" AJ told him "He's been showing up randomly for the last six months. He doesn't do anything"

"He did something one time" Punk reminded her and that caused her to flash back to her encounter with Christian when she broke up with him

"Why are you here?" AJ asked annoyed

"He said he was coming up here" Punk defended now questioning himself as to why he raced up here "I just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt you"

"How noble" AJ muttered "An hour ago you told me you hated me"

"I don't want you hurt" Punk said to her

"We had sex" AJ reminded him "And you have a girlfriend!"

"We've done that before" Punk said with a shrug "You didn't mind when Beth was my girlfriend"

"How could you be so cold?" AJ questioned

"What did you expect from me AJ?" Punk asked annoyed "To sit and wait for you? I did! For two months! You never returned my messages! You never called me back! You moved out of your hotel and didn't even tell me where you were going! What did you want from me!" he yelled passionately

"I wanted you to understand!" AJ yelled back "I did this to protect you!"

"How sweet" Punk mocked "So I was still supposed to sit at home and twiddle my thumbs and just wait for you? You think that's fair? After everything I did for you?"

"Why can't you understand I did this for you?" AJ questioned

"I don't need your protection, I still don't and as a matter of fact I don't need you all" Punk told her coldly

"Same here" AJ said to him "Don't break down my doors and rush to save me from anything I can take care of myself"

"You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me!" Punk shouted the reminder at her

"Go back to your girlfriend" AJ instructed him

"I think I will" Punk told her smugly

"She must be great seeing as how you couldn't wait to get your hands on me" AJ shot at him "Shows what kind of man you truly are"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Punk questioned

"It means you've cheated on your last two girlfriends with me!" AJ yelled "Good thing we didn't last because I'm sure you would have done the same to me"

"Probably" he told her bluntly "It is good you left when you did because I probably would have gotten bored quickly. And you really didn't have much to offer me anyway"

"Is this what you do when you're hurt?" AJ asked folding her arms "You lash out and try to be as hurtful as possible?"

"No I do this all the time" Punk spat at her "This is who I am and it's who I've always been"

"You weren't like this when we first met" AJ pointed out

"Yes I was" Punk told her "You were just blind"

"I guess I was" AJ said to him "Leave me alone Phil" she sighed "I can't deal with you anymore."

"Fine just don't come crying to me when you get in over your head again" Punk said to her

"I never went to you- you came to me!" AJ pointed out "And I don't need you I've never needed your help"

"You were all too happy to take it though" Punk shot at her "You didn't exactly beg me to stop supporting your family when I told you I was. You just needed a new man with money"

"Oh speaking of that" AJ said walking over to her purse and pulling out a check "It's all the money you gave to my family while you were helping them" she said passing him the check "Plus interest. I was going to give it to you earlier but I got distracted"

"Good" Punk said accepting the check

"Now I owe you nothing" AJ said to him

"Except your career" he shrugged slightly

"I'm the one with the talent" AJ reminded him

"And I'm the one that made sure it got recognized" Punk said to her

"Woah" a voice said entering the room "What happened to your door?" Punk looked at the new person entering the room oddly

"Hi" AJ said nervously "I'm not ready yet" she told him

"It's cool I can see you're busy" John Cena said to her then looked over to Punk "You need more time?"

"Yea I just have to get changed" AJ told him "And Phil was just leaving. Bye Phil" she said coldly

"Are you sure? I didn't mean to interrupt" Cena said looking at her

"Yup we're finished" She said glaring towards Punk who just held back laugh and walked past John and out of the room.

* * *

Punk headed down the hall and almost made it to the elevator before John Cena stopped him.

"Punk wait up!" John shouted jogging after him

"What?" Punk asked annoyed

"There's nothing going on between us" John told him "I know you two used to have a thing a while back but this is professional. Vince wants us to work and angle with Ziggler and I just wanted to get to know her"

"Knock yourself out" Punk said with a shrug as he waited for the elevator "She's not my business anymore"

"I don't know what's going on between you two-" John started but Punk interrupted

"Nothing is going on" Punk shot at Cena annoyed "Go take her out to dinner and take her back to your room and give her the second best night of her life for all I care"

"Second best?" Cena smirked

"You'd never compare to me boy scout- in or out of the ring" Punk told him smugly

"It's strictly professional" John assured him

"Like I said" Punk said as the doors opened "not my business" then walked on and left John standing there.

* * *

As soon as Punk ran up the stairs Jamie stepped out of the gym and watched as he ran towards the stairwell doors.

"He seemed to be in a hurry" Christian smirked behind Jamie

"What did you say to him?" Jamie asked turning to face him

"Don't worry about that" Christian said to her

"I am worried" Jamie said nervously

"You're not getting paid to worry" Christian reminded her

"Right" Jamie muttered "What are you doing here Christian?"

"I came to see how you were doing" He told her "I wanted to make sure you were keeping him occupied but clearly you're not enough for him. One subtle threat towards April and he races to her rescue. You've failed"

"I walked in on them in his locker room" Jamie told him ignoring his comments

"What were they doing?" Christian asked

"Apparently arguing but she looked messy and he was sweaty" Jamie told him "My guess is your perfect little angel had dirty locker room sex with him" she smirked

"I thought we fixed this problem" Christian groaned

"Apparently not" Jamie shot at him

"Well then I guess paying you is useless" Christian frowned "You can't even do this"

"I'm doing the best I can" Jamie defended "He's a real jerk you know. And he doesn't exactly open up easily. I've asked him about April ten times tonight and all he said was that she was new and he knew her from her time with the company before. Is he up there with her right now?"

"I would bet my fortune on it" Christian said to her "I needed him away from you though so I could get an update"

"Well not much new to report" Jamie said to him "So what are you going to do?"

"You're going to have to work harder" Christian told her "Or do you not like your weekly paychecks? It's a lot more than what you made on the corner in Vegas isn't it?"

"I'm trying" Jamie frowned "Like I said he's pretty closed off"

"Open him up" Christian demanded "It's been two months now"

"I don't know what you want me to say" Jamie said to him but he caught her chin wish his hands and squeezed as hard as he could

"I want you tell me you're sorry and you'll do better" Christian told her coldly and she nodded as her eyes filled with fear

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I'll do better" Jamie promised

"Good girl" Christian said releasing her "I'll check in again next week"

"Ok" she said lightly rubbing her chin.

* * *

At dinner in the hotel AJ sat across from John and they chatted about some of his matches and how it was going to be with working with him.

"So Punk didn't seem to happy to see me" John said to her

"Is that anything new?" AJ asked sipping on her water

"I suppose not" John chuckled "I don't want to cause any problems between you two, I spoke to him and told him this was a professional dinner"

"Believe me there's nothing going on between us" AJ told him

"But there used to be" John pointed out

"About six months ago" AJ smirked "And it didn't last"

"I heard rumors about that actually" John admitted

"I'm sure you did" she said back

"It seems like it was pretty serious" John said to her "I remember the beating he took a few months back"

"Yea" AJ said sadly as she flashed to that night and receiving that phone call "But it's over and it's been over since than"

"He cares about you" John informed her

"I didn't realize you and Phil were such good friends" AJ teased

"Oh we're not but I have never heard anyone call him Phil besides his sisters" John said to her "But from the little time that I've known you I could already tell you that you could better" he smirked

"I can't be with anyone at the moment" AJ confided

"Crazy ex-boyfriend?" John questioned as AJ looked at him oddly "I hear things" he defended lightly

"Something like that" AJ said to him "And if your girlfriend wasn't here upstairs waiting for you I never would have agreed to this dinner or you could have been on his list next"

"Christian Scott doesn't intimidate me and you shouldn't let him intimidate you either" John told her seriously "Sure he's powerful but you have a voice, use it"

"It's more than that" AJ admitted "I just want to work and move on from it all"

"Well you're working and you're going to be getting a great push so now just focus on the moving on thing" John told her

"I'm trying" AJ said to him "I worked here before but now that I'm starting out on the main roster I'm really nervous. I feel like I have to relearn everything"

"You will" John told her "And I know you lost your teacher in Punk but I'm here too" he assured her "I'll show you the ropes don't worry"

"I appreciate that" AJ smiled

* * *

Punk and Jamie headed back to his room after working out for over an hour and she knew she had to work on this relationship before she ended up losing her job or worse.

"So who was that guy?" Jamie questioned

"Some idiot" Punk said as he kicked off his shoes

"He seemed to really bother you" Jamie noted with a frown

"He does bother me" Punk retorted honestly "He's a rich jackass"

"How do you know him?" Jamie asked

"What's with all the questions?" Punk questioned

"I'm just curious" she shrugged "You are my boyfriend and if someone is bothering you I want to know"

"That's sweet of you but I'm fine" Punk smirked

"Did you used to date AJ?" Jamie asked surprising him "I heard people talking backstage earlier"

"I wouldn't call it dating" Punk said to her honestly "We fooled around a bit"

"Were you two close?" Jamie asked

"More questions" Punk snorted

"I have a right to know" Jamie defended

"We were close for a very short about of time nothing for you to worry about" Punk assured her "I don't even consider her a friend anymore"

"Good" Jamie smiled "I don't want any competition" she teased

"She's no comparison to you" Punk promised as Jamie grinned happily "You're in a league all of your own"

"So I'm going to shower and wash all this sweat off of myself" Jamie said removing her top "Want to join me?"

"Not tonight" Punk told her surprising her "I'm kind of wrecked from run in with Ryback earlier"

"Ok" she said with a frown then gave him a quick kiss "I won't be long than you can go" she told him and he just nodded.

Punk reached into his pocket and looked at the check AJ had passed him earlier that night and ripped it into two and tossed it into the trash.

* * *

**A/N: Jamie working for Christian... Cena being a friend...Punk saying hurtful words...alot to discuss...**


	13. Fan Club

**Chapter 13: Fan Club**

* * *

AJ arrived at SmackDown with Eve and the two were in catering eating together and they were discussing the previous nights events.

"In the locker room?" Eve asked stunned "That is so dirty! And hot" she grinned "I want more details"

"I want to know why you didn't give me a heads up he has girlfriend" AJ said to her

"I didn't think it was going to last and I still don't" Eve defended "She's not his type"

"He seems to really like her" AJ noted

"In front of you. He's trying to make you jealous and clearly it's working" Eve teased "I only just met her last night he has never bought her to a show before. I'm assuming he bought her along last night because you'd be there"

"How did they meet?" AJ asked

"In Chicago at a tattoo parlor" Eve said to her "I don't think they're that serious and clearly he isn't if he had sex with you last night"

"I don't know what happened" AJ admitted "One minute we were fighting and the next he was pulling my pants off" she whispered causing Eve to let out a laugh "It's not funny!"

"Oh come on" Eve laughed "You two have this connection it's insane!"

"The things he said to me last night were horrible" AJ admitted "He really hurt me"

"Because you hurt him" Eve said to her "It's what he does. This is how he gets even I told you not to take it personally and I will bet you my Diva's title he doesn't mean one word of it"

"He wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it" AJ said to her

"Ok well let's move on. Tomorrow Rener and I are hosting this women's empowerment camp at the Gracie school and I want you there" Eve said to her "You can fly out with me, what do you say?"

"What do I have to do?" AJ questioned

"Just beat up a bunch of guys and you can stay with me and Rener" Eve smirked

"I'm in" AJ smiled "I have a lot of pent aggression to let out"

"I figured you did" Eve smirked "It's going to be a lot of fun"

"I'm sure it will-" AJ stopped talking when she looked up and saw Punk enter the catering area and watched as he walked right over to their table

"I need to talk to Eve" Punk said to AJ "Do you mind?" he asked coldly

"You don't have to go" Eve said to AJ who stood up

"It's fine I have things to do" AJ told her grabbing her phone

"How was your dinner last night?" Punk questioned with a laugh

"Amazing" AJ said with grin "Best dinner I have had in a long time as a matter of fact" of course nothing went on between John and AJ but Punk didn't have to know that. She was happy with her dig seeing as how it wiped with stupid smug grin off of his face and happily skipped away

"What is wrong with you?" Eve asked as Punk took the seat AJ was in

"Did you hear her?" Punk asked "And you're yelling at me?"

"You really hurt her feelings" Eve scolded

"I'm not discussing this with you" Punk said to her "And try to remember you were my friend first"

"I am still your friend but I'm also her friend" Eve said to him "Don't make me pick sides"

"Than stop defending her to me. It's best you not bring her up at all" Punk said as Eve just rolled her eyes

"Fine." Eve said to him "Oh I was just wondering are you bringing Janet tomorrow?"

"Her name is Jamie" Punk corrected as Eve just smirked "And no she has to get back to work"

"That's a shame she'd probably enjoy the class" Eve said to her "Are you looking forward to having a bunch of women kick your ass?"

"It's the story of my life" Punk teased

"Great" Eve said happily "Rener is so excited to see you. He's been stuck on this level of Grand Theft Auto and is waiting for you"

"We're going to be playing games all night" Punk grinned happily "I hope you weren't looking to have quality alone with him" he teased

"Yea I mean I haven't seen him six days I'm absolutely thrilled he invited you to stay with us during that time" Eve remarked sarcastically

"That's what I thought" Punk said to her standing up with a smile

* * *

AJ was in the back watching SmackDown being filmed when she felt someone poke her in the shoulder she turned and was surprised to see Punk's new girlfriend standing behind her looking less than thrilled.

"Hi" AJ said unsurely

"Hi" Jamie bit back "What is this" she said passing AJ the check she had written to Punk that was now torn in two "Why are you paying my boyfriend?"

"Um" AJ said trying to think of something as she looked at the ripped check "It's really not your business" she told her honestly "You should ask him"

"I'm asking you" Jamie said placing her hands on her hips

"He helped me out a few months back financially and I was just paying him back" AJ told her honestly

"Well if you owed him this money why did he rip up the check and throw it in the trash?" Jamie demanded to know

"That you'll really have to speak to him about" AJ said with a laugh "I gave him the check and he accepted it"

"I think I will" Jamie said to her "And in the future if you have something to say to my boyfriend or have to give him something you can come to me"

"Whatever you say" AJ laughed walking away from Jamie

Punk was stretching near the curtain with his headphones blaring when all of the sudden his headphones were torn off his head.

"What the fu-" Punk started as he stood up and turned around but stopped when he saw AJ "What are you doing?" he asked annoyed snatching his headphones back

"Why did you throw this out?" she asked passing him the ripped the check

"Are you going threw me trash now?" Punk asked

"Oh please don't flatter yourself" AJ mocked "Your new booty call confronted me about this check that you told me you'd cash!"

"I never said I'd cash it" Punk said to her "The fact that you think I want your money is insulting it's not like I'm you and just accept money from everybody that offers" he added which earned him a slap across the face

"I'll write you another one- make sure you cash it" AJ warned

"If you put your hands on me like that again I'll so to it that you're fired" Punk threatened "Then you'd really have to go running back to your sugar daddy Christian"

"That starting to seem more appealing than being here with you" she shot at him "And please tell your bleached blonde bimbo to stay out of my face"

"She may bleach her hair but she's baggage free" Punk said as face started to burn red with anger, it was probably that last Christian dig she assumed

"Good for you" AJ retorted "I'm sure she really does it for you"

"Oh you have no idea" Punk smiled "Jealous?"

"Of your boring girlfriend? Nope" AJ replied

"Well at least I don't have to pay her families way" Punk shrugged simply "She's not with me for my money or to be her shield. She's actually brave enough to defend herself, she also doesn't run when things get a little scary"

"You're a real asshole" AJ shot at him before turning on her heel and walking away

"Was that necessary?" John Cena asked walked over to him

"Were you eavesdropping?" Punk asked in an angry voice

"I saw her slap you and thought you needed back up" John said with a shrug "Why are you treating her like that?"

"She slapped me" Punk defended "I mean you saw that right?"

"You deserved it" John said to him

"Are you sleeping with her now too?" Punk questioned "Heads up you'll end up in a hospital bed if you keep it up"

"I'm not sleeping with her" John told him "I'm sleeping with my current girlfriend"

"I don't think that would stop her" Punk remarked with a laugh

"I've never seen you like this and believe me I've seen you at your worse but this is just bad" John remarked "I also never thought you'd let a man like Christian Scott scare you off"

"Get your facts straight before you start talking shit about things you don't know" Punk warned taking a threatening step towards John "I didn't bail on her and I certainly didn't run off because I got my ass kicked she ran off- she got scared"

"She was scared- for you" John reminded him

"She chickened out" Punk corrected

"She was brave" John shot right back "She was selfless and you're tearing her down and it's not right and you know it and I know you don't like doing it either. I can see it in your eyes man"

"You don't know me John boy" Punk said annoyed "And you don't know anything about AJ"

"You're right" John said surprising Punk "But I do know she already has one crazy ex-boyfriend the last thing she needs is another one" he said to him then walked away

* * *

Later that night Punk was packed up and ready to go. John's words were still fresh in his mind and he couldn't stand it when John was actually right. He spotted Jamie waiting by the rental and headed towards her.

"Hey I was about to send out a search party for you" Jamie smiled reaching in to kiss him but he pulled away slightly

"You go throw my trash now?" Punk questioned

"It wasn't like that" Jamie said to him "But it was odd a woman you had a relationship with wrote you such a big check"

"It wasn't any of your business" Punk told her "And now you've made more problems for me so thanks for that"

"That wasn't my intention" Jamie said "What would you have done?"

"Nothing because I wouldn't dig through your trash" Punk retorted

"I didn't think it would upset you this much especially since you told me last night that she didn't mean much to you anyway" Jamie said folding her arms

"It's not about AJ" Punk said annoyed "It's about you and the fact that you don't trust me"

"Should I trust you?" Jamie asked "You two seemed awfully out of breath yesterday in the locker room" she wasn't wrong either….and Punk knew it

"I don't want to talk about it anymore" Punk said knowing he couldn't lie his way out of this "Just next time come to me first"

"Ok" Jamie said with a faint smile

* * *

The next day AJ flew out with Eve and was excited to spend some time away from all the drama.

"Are you sure you don't mind me staying here?" AJ asked "I could book a hotel room no problem"

"I want you here" Eve said to her "Rener is going to have a some guys staying here and I need a female friend" she told her

"Ok" AJ said to him

"Some of them are cute" Eve grinned as they entered her house

"The last thing I need is another guy in my life" AJ laughed

"I suppose" Eve laughed "But there's nothing wrong with keeping your options open"

"I guess" AJ said as Rener made his way over

"Hi babe" Rener said giving Eve a kiss hello "And AJ" he said completely stunned "I didn't know you were coming"

"I invited her" Eve said happily

"If it's a problem-" AJ started

"No of course not" Rener said cutting her off "It's just I didn't think you'd want to be here with-"

"-I already told her you're going to have a lot of people here and she's fine with that" Eve told her "Enjoy your game time with your guys, AJ and I are going to sunbath by the pool today anyway and warm up for tomorrow"

"Ok" Rener said with a small laugh, he was impressed by his girlfriends plotting.

"Have any other guests arrived?" Eve asked hinting towards Punk

"No but I'm expecting someone in about half an hour" he told Eve who smiled wickedly

"Perfect" Eve said to him then turned to AJ "Let's get you settled" she said grabbing AJ's bag and leading her upstairs

Forty minutes later Punk arrived at the house.

"Hey" Rener said shaking Punk's hand "I appreciate you coming down and working with me tomorrow"

"Are you kidding?" Punk asked "I love it here. I could do without the getting beat up by a bunch of women though" he laughed "But seriously I think it's cool what you're doing and I like the idea of teaching women how to defend themselves"

"I know and that's why I wanted you there, I wanted someone who believes in what they're teaching" Rener told him and Punk nodded in agreement "Punk this is David, Greg and Luke" he said introducing Punk to the other men who were in the living room and Punk shook all of their hands

"So Rener who's the little number with Eve?" the man Luke asked peering out the window into the yard by the pool where AJ and Eve were laying out "And why the hell didn't you introduce us to her?"

"You're here to teach women how to defend themselves and you're referring to a woman as 'little number?'" Rener teased his friend lightly hoping to get him off the topic "So how about we hit the gym?" he suggested

"Let me see" the man Greg said looking out the window "Wow, will she be there tomorrow? I call working with her"

"Yea, yea she'll be and I'll make sure she gets the opportunity to kick you in the balls" Rener laughed nervously "So gym?"

"How come we've never seen her here before?" Luke asked Rener "I've met all of Eve's friends"

"She works with Eve" Rener said quietly scratching the back of his head

"Who?" Punk asked not also intrigued by this mystery woman

"One of the girls" Rener said casually "Seriously I'm heading to the car if you guys aren't in it I'm leaving without you" he said grabbing his keys

"That's fine leave me here with her" Luke grinned "Is she single?"

"I don't know I didn't get her dating history" Rener said "Seriously though we better get going"

"They're coming in!" Luke said as he and Greg raced away from the window and jumped on the couch trying to act casual

"Just let us meet her first" David said to Rener who sucked in a breath

"Punk I wanted to show you something" Rener said waving Punk over "You have one of these coffee machines right?" he asked pointing to the object in his kitchen

"Hi!" the guys shouted as AJ and Eve entered the room while Punk's back was turned and he was chatting with Rener.

"Yea" Punk said with a laugh "But I can't tell you anything about it I just hit a button and it works" he laughed

"…my name's AJ" he heard the familiar voice say and that's when Punk turned around and saw it was indeed AJ the three men were drooling over. She was sporting a tiny bikini one he was sure was Eve's. AJ was a little more reserved.

"Punk-" Rener started "Eve invited her I didn't even realize she'd be here" that's when AJ looked and saw Punk standing in the kitchen with an unreadable face

"It's cool" Punk said looking away and turning to face Rener as if AJ wasn't even there. "I need to clear the air with her a bit anyway" he admitted

"Well I'll take these three knuckleheads to the gym so you can have a moment alone with her" Rener smirked

"Please do" Punk said he looked back over and watched the men gawk over AJ and rolled his eyes slightly

"AJ why don't you head back to the pool and I'll grab our drinks" Eve smiled

"Ok, nice meeting you all" AJ said to the three guys

"It was great meeting you!" Luke shouted as AJ walked out of the living room

"Alright you met her lets go" Rener said to him

"Can I bunk with her tonight?" Greg asked causing Punk to bit on his lower lip inwardly, Eve picked up on it though and smirked

"Maybe if you play your cards right" Eve teased to him

"I saw her first!" Luke shouted putting on his sweatshirt

"She'll be in my room tonight" David laughed

"You're all pigs" Eve scolded but she knew they were teasing. All three of them were actually great people "Go to the gym and leave us girls in peace"

"There's a lot of thing I'd like to leave on AJ…." Luke trailed off earning a scary death glare from Punk

"Ok we're going" Rener said nervously ushering the guys out of the house

"That was mean" Punk said to Eve once everyone left

"You deserve it" Eve said to him "Maybe you can use this coincidence as an opportunity to right some wrongs" she said taking out two iced-teas

"Maybe" Punk agreed quietly

"Here" she said passing him the drinks "I forgot I have a few business phone calls to make, could you bring that out to AJ and let her know I'll be back in a while. Tell her to enjoy the pool and stuff" she smiled sweetly then headed upstairs. Punk grabbed one iced- tea and took a seat on the lounge chair next to AJ

"Please don't start with me" AJ sighed "I didn't know you'd be here or trust me I wouldn't be here"

"I know" Punk said to her "I didn't know either"

"I'll go if you want" AJ told him looking at him and she noticed his face with calmer and less tense than the last few times they had spoken "Eve and Rener are your friends I don't want to intrude"

"Don't go" Punk insisted placing her drink down on the table behind her "I'm glad you're here actually"

"Is that so you can yell at me more? Or have sex with me without the fear of your girlfriend walking in?" AJ questioned

"I deserve that" Punk nodded "I wanted to apologize to you actually. I haven't been very nice"

"You think?" AJ asked

"You're making this difficult" Punk groaned annoyed "I don't apologize often ok? I'm trying here"

"I know" AJ said softly "And it's fine. I said some crappy things too"

"I deserved it all and the slap too" Punk smirked at the memory "You really leave a sting" he said rubbing his cheek lightly

"I have a new check and I want you to take it and cash it" AJ told him

"I don't want to argue about this AJ" he said annoyed "I really don't want your money"

"You were right with some of the things you said to me and I want you to have the money" AJ insisted "Please if you want to make up for the last few days that's how you can do it"

"Ok" Punk said to her simply "Why didn't you call me?" he asked her

"Because I was afraid if I heard your voice I'd go back to you" AJ said to him "What they did to you was only going to get worse. It wasn't just your career on the line it was your life. I didn't walk away because I didn't want you I walked away so I could save you. Maybe I went about it wrong but to me it was my only option"

"You did go about it wrong" Punk said to her "No one has ever hurt me like you did" he admitted honestly "I've never felt like that and I don't want to ever feel that way again"

"So I suppose I deserved those harsh comments" AJ said sadly

"You didn't" Punk said to her honestly "I don't know what's gotten into me" he admitted running his hand over his head "I lash out and I don't think about what I'm saying and I didn't mean them"

"I think you did" AJ said to him "And that's ok I'm not mad at you"

"Well I'm mad at me" Punk smirked "If that makes you feel better at all"

"It doesn't" AJ said to him "I've worked really hard to get here and it because of you. I want you to know that I realize that and I want you to continue to help me if you want?"

"Of course" he promised "So what are you going to be doing with Cena?"

"A love affair" AJ smirked

"Of course you are" Punk laughed "How does Ziggler fit in?"

"He's going to use me to antagonize John" AJ told him "I was hoping I would get to wrestle"

"Ziggler is with Vickie you'll probably get in the ring with her" Punk pointed out "But for the most part you'll probably just making out with them" he said

"Yea I guess. Hopefully they don't end up in a hospital bed for it" AJ teased lightly and she was surprised when he smiled at the comment

"Your kisses are worth it" He said with a wink

* * *

Later that night after everyone got back from the gym they ordered in dinner and chatted a bit. The guys went off to play games while AJ and Eve decided on late night swimming. After a few hours Rener came out to the pool.

"We're all heading to bed" Rener told them

"So early?" Eve asked

"Some of them flew in" Rener reminded her with a laugh "And I was hoping you'd join me" he smirked

"But I'm not sleepy" Eve smiled swimming towards the edge of the pool were Rener was kneeling

"Me either" Rener flirted

"You'll be ok on your own right AJ?" Eve asked as Rener helped her out of the large pool

"Yea I'll probably head in to" AJ told her

"Don't be ridiculous" Rener told her "Stay out as late as you want and enjoy yourself" he told her

"Ok" AJ said "Goodnight" she said as they walked inside and passed Punk was walking out "I thought you'd be sleeping"

"Me? I don't sleep" Punk said to her as he walked by the edge of the pool "I didn't realize you liked swimming so much you've been in here all day"

"I love swimming" AJ said happily causing Punk to smile "Who doesn't?"

"People who don't know how to swim" he suggested

"Don't tell me you don't know how to swim" she said swimming over to where he was standing

"I didn't say I didn't" Punk said to her with a laugh

"Good" She said quickly leaning up and grabbing him by his t-shirt and pulling him into the pool "Because I wouldn't have been able to do that if you didn't" she laughed

"You're going to get it" Punk laughed "My shoes are still on"

"So take them off and hang out with me a little" She suggested "You owe me that much" she said laughing

"Ok" Punk said laughing as he tugged off his shoes and threw them onto the grass nearby and then his shirt and shorts just leaving him swimming in his boxers "I'm glad your fan club is sleeping or they'd kill me for being out here without you"

"They're nice" AJ giggled as Punk swam towards her

"They think you're hot" Punk corrected

"They have good taste than" AJ said in a serious voice

"Well I think-" Punk started but stopped so he could pick AJ up and toss her across the pool "That's called payback" he said as she swam back to the top of the water

"I didn't even get a chance to hold my nose!" she laughed

"Oh poor baby" Punk mocked as AJ swam quickly back to over him and dunked his head under the water "Now I have water in my nose" he said when he reemerged

"Good! We're even now" AJ laughed as made a move to jump her but she swam away quickly

"You know I'm going to catch you, right?" Punk asked as he slowly swam towards her

"I don't know I'm a pretty good swimmer" AJ teased "And you're old

"Old?" Punk laughed "Now you're really going to get it" it didn't take long for Punk to grab her and he tugged her into him so they were face to face

"We're even!" AJ pleaded lightly threw giggles

"Are we?" Punk questioned

"Yes!" She said waiting for him to make his move but he never did he just gazed into her eyes "We can't" she said to him

"I know" Punk agreed as his eyes moved towards her lips

"You have a girlfriend" AJ also reminded him of

"I know" he said in the same tone

"You look really good wet" AJ couldn't help but add

"I know" he said in the same serious voice then grinned "I'm kidding"

"No you're not" AJ laughed

"You're right I'm not" Punk said tugging her closer so their bodies were now touching "I really hate that I want you" he admitted honestly in a soft voice

"I hate it too" AJ agreed and that's when Punk leaned in and they both began to kiss in the pool in the middle of the night. Punk pushed AJ against the wall of the pool as they continued to kiss passionately

"I'm sorry" Punk said pulling away "This isn't right"

"We always end up like this" she whispered as he forehead rested against hers

"I'm with someone and it's not fair to her or you" Punk said as he caught his breath

"I understand" AJ said to him "I know we can't be together I accept that"

"Ok good" Punk said to her but that's when he felt her toes tug down his boxers

"We can use each other" she suggested quietly "No one has to know"

"No one" Punk agreed as leaned down and began kissing her again "Are you sure though?" he asked pulling away "You really need to be sure I don't want you be hurt"

"I'm sure" She promised and that's when he slowly untied her bikini buttons and carefully placing it behind her on the concrete while his other free hand entered her core causing her to let out a soft moan She moved her hips against his hand while his other hand untied her top and tossed it next to her bottoms

"Oh" she moaned while she buried her head into his neck to try to stifle her moans of pleasure "Please….I want you"

"I know baby" he muttered against her as he tangled her hair around his hand "Soon, I don't want to rush this" calling her baby only turned her on even more. She knew she'd never be '_his_' baby and this was as close as she would ever get.

"I need you" She whispered lifting her head and looking into his eyes desperately, he responded by pulling her into another bruising kiss. He bit and tugged on her lower lip and after that she reached her peak. She rested her head against his shoulder while she caught her breath

"Think you can handle me?" he whispered into her ear while nipping on her earlobe

"Yes" she replied in a raspy voice and unexpectedly he entered slowly. His hands moved away from her body and held onto the ledge of the pool, she wrapped her legs under the water around his waist and moved her hips in perfect sync with him.

"God" he muttered against his throat while concentrating on his movements "Why do you feel so god damn good?" he asked more himself

"You told…told me….I wasn't that great…" she reminded him between breaths

"I lied" Punk told her strongly. He rested his head on her chest now while they both continued to move against each other.

"I thought…so" she muttered causing him to smile against her chest and that's when she felt him take a soft bite over her heart then used his tongue to sooth the pain "I'm almost there" she whispered causing him to look up at her

"Me too baby" he replied into her ear

"Oh god…" She said as her breath became shorter and Punk knew from experience she was loud…he didn't need her waking up the entire house. Right before she was about to peak he quickly pulled her into a kiss and used his tongue to try to quiet her screams, which he thought was pretty effective. AJ wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged his pelvis as close as he could get as he finished off thirty seconds later.

"Wow" AJ said resting her head under his chin

"We should get to bed" Punk said pulling out of her and reached for his boxers that were now floating in the pool and tugged them back on before climbing out. AJ swam to the ledge pool and extended her hand to Punk in hopes he'd help her out.

"What?" she asked when he didn't accept her hand but instead reached down to his feet and tossed her the bikini she was wearing

"Put that on first" Punk instructed "Like I said you've got a fan club" He said causing her to roll her eyes

"I could put it on easier outside the pool" AJ muttered trying to tie the suit back on and once she did Punk extended his hand to her and pulled her out of the pool and wrapped a towel around her

"Are you ok?" Punk asked her and she just nodded. He leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly

"Yes" AJ told him "I know this is just what it is- sex" she told him bluntly "You have someone and I have a stalker" she laughed at the comment but he just frowned "Seriously I'm cool with it. I had fun and this was much nicer than the other night"

"You didn't deserve that" Punk said thinking about how he took AJ against the locker room door

"This more than made up for it" AJ smirked

"You don't have any roommates for the night do you?" Punk asked as he grabbed his wet clothes

"No, why?" AJ asked

"I'm sharing a room with one of the three musketeers" Punk said to her

"You can bunk with me" AJ offered quietly

"I was hoping you'd offer" Punk smirked

* * *

Jack got back into his car once AJ and Punk headed inside. His phone rang once and he quickly answered.

"Are they inside?" was all Christian Scott asked his right hand man

"Yea" Jack said to him

"So they're still together" Christian said to him

"Well they're having sex" Jack told him

"Jamie told me she was working on this!" Christian yelled

"Well she's failing" Jack told him

"It amazes me how she turns into such a little whore whenever she's around him" Christian bit back "She needs to be punished"

"What do you want me to do?" Jack asked

"Call Pete" Christian told him "Not while he's around" he said annoyed "Punk has an annoying habit of getting in my way"

"I think she's here for the rest of the week with him. She's supposed to report at a live event on Friday and is he" Jack told him

"Well tell Pete to meet her at her hotel and not to be seen by anyone not Jamie and not Punk" Christian said to him

"What should I tell him?" Jack asked

"Tell him to make it hurt" Christian said in a low voice "Better yet tell him I'll meet there"

"Are you sure sir?" Jack asked "Pete is pretty rough"

"Well that seems to be the way April likes it now" Christian retorted "I am sick to my stomach over this and I need her to understand that this kind of behavior isn't going to be accepted"

"What about him?" Jack asked

"I believe he was warned six months ago that this would happen to April if he continued this" Christian replied coolly "I'm a man of my word and I'm goign to follow through. We can also use this time to have Jamie work on him, make sure she's with him this week"

"Yes sir" Jack replied

"You got the photos right?" Christian asked and Jack confirmed he had taken photos this evening "Good I need them printed before I arrive at her hotel room"


	14. Scars

**Chapter 14: Scars**

* * *

It was the next day and everyone was at the seminar. Punk was taking a break sipping on his water as he kept his eyes locked on AJ who was sparring with another male.

"Has anyone ever told you that starring is rude?" Eve questioned as she reached for a bottle water

"I'm rude" Punk told her plainly

"So did you two makeup?" Eve asked him and he nodded

"Yea I think we cleared the air" Punk told her casually

"What did you two do last night?" Eve asked

"Really Eve?" Punk asked with a laugh

"I caught you sneaking out of her room this morning" Eve teased lightly

"I was there to guard her from her many admirers" Punk defended lightly

"Really? So I don't have to burn the bed sheets?" Eve asked seriously

"We didn't have sex in your house last night" Punk told her honestly and it was true…they had it outside in the pool.

"What about my pool?" Eve asked as if she was reading Punk's mind

"It's really nice" Punk grinned

"Gross Punk!" Eve said slapping his arm "So what are you two going to do? Just keep sleeping together and pretend like you both aren't completely nuts about each other?"

"The reasons she left me before haven't changed" Punk reminded her as he kept his eyes on AJ and watched her laugh as she kicked her trainer causing him to smirk "She wasn't wrong for what she did"

"Wow your attitude has completely changed" Eve noted

"I still don't like how she went about leaving but she was right" Punk said finally looking over to Eve "It wasn't just my safety at risk"

"What do you mean? You don't think that guy would hurt AJ?" Eve asked surprised

"You saw her neck the night she showed up at your place" Punk told her "And before I received my beat down I was told AJ would be next"

"You should have went to the police" Eve said to him

"Christian wasn't there" Punk reminded her "And sure I could have gotten a few of his hired guns locked up but he has a lot more. When she arrived in Chicago to see me those same guys tried to force her to leave with them. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her like that and I should have been the one to walk away so I guess she's stronger than me even"

"So I have to ask how's Jamie?" Eve questioned "It's really not fair what you're doing"

"I know and I feel like crap about it" Punk groaned "It's just whenever I'm near her I have to be with her. I can't even explain the pull she has on me"

"Sounds like love" Eve teased lightly

"I don't fall in love" Punk shot at his friend

"Right" Eve snorted as Punk went back to looking at AJ who was having a great time "You haven't taken your eyes off of her once since we got here"

"I have a girlfriend" Punk told her "And AJ and I can't be together without one of us getting hurt"

"So if she came to you tonight and said she wanted to try with you would turn her away?" Eve asked

"If her safety was still at risk? Absolutely" Punk told her firmly

"What if there were no risks?" Eve asked but Punk didn't respond "That's what I thought" she smirked then walked away

* * *

Later that night Punk had gotten a room all to himself but was wide-awake looking up at the ceiling when he heard a soft knock at the door and instantly he knew who it was. He should have just ignored it but instead he got out of the bed and opened the door slowly and saw AJ standing outside nervously. He stepped aside to let her in and gave a quick glance down the hall to make sure no one had seen her enter his room.

"Hi" he smiled turning to her after closing the door. He cupped her cheeks and pulled her into a short but still very deep kiss

"Hi" she said blushing as she pulled away

"I think we should talk" Punk said to her and she nodded "This thing with us- it's not fair to Jamie"

"I know" AJ said to him. And she had felt guilty for Punk's seemingly nice girlfriend "I'm sorry"

"You didn't exactly twist my arm" Punk smirked

"We won't do it anymore" AJ told him "And we'll steer clear of each other I promise"

"I don't want to stop" Punk told her honestly "That's the thing I'd rather not have her in my life then lose you again"

"But we can't be together" AJ reminded him "This is all we'd ever get to be"

"I'd rather have part of you than none of you" Punk told her causing her to smile faintly "I just don't want to hurt anyone else in the process."

"So what are you going to do?" AJ asked

"I'm going to break up with Jamie" Punk told her

"I feel like I'm holding you back from your life" AJ frowned "That's not what I wanted and that's why I left"

"Are you really prepared to live your entire life alone because of Christian?" Punk asked her

"If it means keeping the people I care about safe? Yes" AJ told him honestly "I've made peace with this a long time ago and I'm not going to ask you to live that way"

"You're not asking me" Punk pointed out "And we're going to figure this out"

"There's no way" AJ argued lightly

"There's got to be a way" Punk said shaking his head "I won't accept it. I can't just be your friend because we both know we can't stay apart and hating you is to hard for me" he told her honestly "There's no in-between for us"

"I don't know" AJ said lightly as she chewed on her lower lip

"It's going to be ok" Punk smiled walking over to her and kissing her forehead lightly "I promise"

"Can we talk about this more tomorrow?" AJ asked him "I'm really tired"

"Sure" Punk said to her as he grabbed her hand and led her to the bed, once she crawled in under the covers he crawled in himself and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against the nape of her neck living a soft kiss there

* * *

The next day Punk, AJ and Eve all flew out to the house show they were scheduled to appear at. Eve sat in-between Punk and AJ during the flight and once they arrived at the hotel both went their separate ways.

"So that was an awkward plane ride" Eve noted as her and AJ stepped into the hotel

"We're just trying to behave" AJ told her

"So you two either have to be boning constantly or screaming each other? There's no happy medium like friendship?" Eve smirked

"It's complicated" AJ told her honestly "It was probably better when we were arguing"

"Nah" Eve said with a laugh

"Hey" Jamie said walking over to the two

"Jamie hi" Eve said happily "Punk didn't tell me you'd be here?" and AJ felt her stomach turn

"I'm surprising him" Jamie told them "Is he here yet?"

"Yea, yea he's outside getting his stuff" Eve told her

"Thanks" Jamie smiled before skipping out of the hotel

"Sorry" Eve said to AJ

"Why? She's his girlfriend….for now" she added quietly

"He's breaking up with her?" Eve asked with wide eyes "For you?"

"I told him not to" AJ defended "He knows we can't be in a relationship"

"I don't even need to watch General Hospital I'm living in it" Eve laughed

"Funny" AJ remarked as they stepped onto the elevator together with their bags.

They were both staying on the same floor and stopped in front of AJ's door.

"Do you want to ride over to the arena together?" Eve asked

"No but thanks I'm going to catch a ride with Celeste" AJ told her "I haven't seen her months"

"Alright I'll see you at the show" Eve told her as AJ opened her hotel room door.

"God!" AJ shouted startled upon seeing Christian standing in her room "How many more times are you going to do this? I want you to leave" she said to him

"Lock the door" Christian said

"No way" AJ said to him as she placed her bag down

"I wasn't talking to you April" Christian said in a low scary tone. That's when AJ turned and saw Pete in her room as well and he locked her hotel room door.

"What is going on?" AJ asked starting to feel nervous

"Did you learn a lot this week?" Christian questioned

"What?" AJ asked nervously

"You went to the Gracie school to learn about defending yourself" Christian pointed out "Tonight is going to be your first test but I must warn you this will be less painful if you don't resist"

* * *

Punk and Jamie entered his room and he was almost happy to see her so he could get this over with as quickly as possible.

"I'm sorry for surprising you" Jamie said with a laugh

"No, no it's cool I'm actually glad you're here" Punk said to her "There's something I need to talk to you about" it was now or never and Punk hoped he was doing the right thing

"That's why I'm here myself" Jamie told him surprising him "You go first" she insisted

"No you go" Punk insisted. He was genuinely curious as to what Jamie had to tell him

"It's really early but I couldn't wait to tell you" Jamie told him in a giddy voice "I'm pregnant!" she shouted happily. Punk was in complete shock and was pretty sure he was having a heart attack at this very moment. "Punk!" she shouted walking over to him "Aren't you excited?" she asked throwing her arms around his neck "We're going to be parents!" she squealed

"How did this happen" Punk asked as she pulled away

"How do you think?" Jamie smirked

"We were careful" Punk said to her and Jamie frowned

"It happens sometimes" Jamie shrugged "Why aren't you excited about this?"

"Because I didn't plan on being a parent Jamie" Punk told her as he ran his hands over his head in frustration

"Ever?" Jamie asked

"Ever" He confirmed "I can't believe this" he said taking a seat on the bed

"I had the same reaction you had" Jamie told him taking a seat next to him "Until this" she said pulling a small photo out of her purse and passing it over to him. It was a sonogram photo. "That little dot there is our child. He's part you and part me" she told him resting her head against his shoulder as he looked at the photo and he had to admit this did get to him.

"It's really our baby?" Punk asked as Jamie let out a laugh

"Who's baby would it be?" she asked sweetly kissing his cheek "Is the picture helping?"

"A little" Punk admitted with the faintest of smiles

"I thought it would" Jamie said to him "So what did you have to tell me?"

"I can't even remember" Punk said to her

"Are you sure?" Jamie asked

"Yea…I'm sure" he said as glanced down at the sonogram again. There was no way he was going to abandon his child.

* * *

Christian was sitting comfortably in the chair of the hotel room with his eyes on the floor where AJ was curled up and bleeding.

"Do you think she's learned her lesson yet?" Pete asked Christian asked

"I don't know" Christian said "Are you ready to come home now April?"

"You'll have to kill me" AJ muttered through the pain

"Put the belt away" Christian instructed Pete. Pete's own belt was the weapon of choice tonight. "Run a nice hot bath for her" he instructed Pete who nodded and headed into the bathroom. Christian stood up and removed his blazer before standing over AJ and kneeling down "Why did you have to make this difficult?"

"Why did you do this?" AJ groaned. Her body was covered in large welts- including her face from the beating from the belt. She was cut up and soar and wasn't sure she'd be able to even stand up.

"Why did you disobey me?" Christian questioned as he placed a photograph on the floor. It was a picture from two nights ago of her and Punk in the pool kissing. "You and Mr. Brooks knew this would be the consequence"

"It was worth it" AJ said with a bitter laugh surprising Christian

"Let's see if you still feel that way next week when you go to work but can't be put on TV because your face isn't as pretty as it was" Christian said softly. "It's time to get up now April"

"No" AJ said to him as he removed his own clothing slowly "God no" she muttered afraid of what he was planning

"Don't be silly April I'm not a monster" he said with a laugh "I'd never force myself on you, I want you to want me as much as I want you"

"I think I'm going to be sick" she groaned resting her head against the carpeted floor

"Come on now, there's a nice hot bath waiting for us" he said lifting her by her shoulders but she hissed in pain

"Get off!" She shouted but she was powerless

"Haven't you learned what happens when you make things difficult?" Christian questioned as he started to unbutton her top

"I really don't feel well" She said honestly as Christian held her against his own nude body

"You're in a lot of pain but I'm going to fix that for you" Christian soothed but AJ's stomach had different ideas and he felt it coming. He stepped away from her as she vomited in on the carpet. "Oh April" Christian frowned almost holding back his own tears "I'm sorry to have to do this to you" He said lifting her again as Pete stepped back out. "Help me get her undressed" He instructed Pete. AJ couldn't have felt more violated as these two men stripped her of her clothes and casually discussed the marks they had left on her body.

"Please leave me alone" AJ pleaded lightly as Christian lifted her into her arms and carried her into the bathroom. Carefully he stepped into the hot bathtub with AJ

"I'm going to make you feel better first" he said as he sat with AJ, resting her back against his chest and kissing her shoulder lightly

* * *

Punk was wandering around the small arena in hopes of finding AJ. He had to tell her everything and let her know that what they had going on was going to have to end. This isn't what he wanted at all but it was the right thing to do. He headed to the Diva's locker room and just waltzed right in and the few women inside looked alarmed upon seeing him

"Relax you wear less on television" He told them

"What are you doing here?" Eve asked Punk

"I'm looking for AJ" Punk said to her

"I was going to ask you the same thing" Eve said with a frown "She was supposed to ride over with Celeste but when she went to get her from her room she never came out"

"Maybe she fell asleep, " Punk reasoned

"Well you can check on her when we get back" Eve said with a smirk but Punk's serious face remained present on his face "What's wrong?"

"Can I talk to you? In private" Punk said almost holding back tears and now Eve was concerned

"Of course" She said stepping out of the locker room with him and heading towards and empty office "What's up?"

"It's Jamie" Punk started as he began to pace "She's pregnant" Eve's jaw almost hit the floor

"Oh my god" she muttered "Congratulations I guess?"

"I can't leave her now" Punk told Eve who just frowned "I can't be with AJ anymore"

"Ok" Eve said slowly "So you're going to stay with a woman you like over a woman you love?"

"She's carrying my child!" Punk yelled

"Are you sure?" Eve asked unsurely

"Yes I'm sure!" Punk shouted "I'm not going to abandon her now. I'm already feeling like shit for cheating on her with AJ"

"Ok I understand" Eve said to him

"I wanted to tell AJ before this leaked" Punk said to her

"She's not here" Eve told him "I thought she was with you actually. It's not like her to miss a show. After my match I'll run over to the hotel and check on her"

"Can you tell her I have to talk to her?" Punk questioned and Eve nodded "I don't want her to hear about this from anyone else"

"She's going to be crushed" Eve muttered to herself

* * *

After sitting in a bath with Christian for well over an hour he washed all of her cuts she received from her beating and dressed her in sweatpants and a sweatshirt before carrying her into the bed.

"Feeling better?" He asked leaning over and kissing her forehead

"Every time you touch me my stomach turns" AJ warned

"Ok" Christian said slowly standing up and putting his jacket back on "I hope we don't have this problem again April"

"I wish you would have killed me" AJ muttered

"Don't talk that" Christian warned "Stay away from Mr. Brooks April" he instructed "Even though since he's going to becoming a father shortly I'm sure that won't be an issue"

"What?" AJ asked lifting her head from the bed and Christian smiled

"Isn't it wonderful?" Christian smirked "His new girlfriend is pregnant"

"How do you know that?" AJ asked him stunned "Never mind you're lying to me"

"I'm a lot of things April but a liar isn't one" Christian told her "I of course have people watching Phillip and those close to him. I found out two days ago actually. I'm assuming he just found out tonight since I passed his lovely girlfriend earlier in the lobby"

"Oh my god" AJ said starting to cry

"Don't waste your tears over him" Christian told her "He was never good enough for you anyway. I'll see you in a few days April"

"Don't" AJ greeted through the pain and tears

"I'm going to give you a few days to reconsider coming home. Hopefully you'll make the right decision" Christian replied coolly as he placed his phone in his pocket "I love you"

"I hate you" AJ spat

"Well I'm all you have left in the world" Christian reminded her "Try to remember that"

"Have a good night Ms. Mendez" Pete told her in a professional voice before opening the door for Christian and following him out.

* * *

Eve anxiously tapped her foot on the floor waiting for the elevator doors to open. A few minutes later the doors opened and Christian and Pete stepped off. Eve didn't give them much thought since she had never personally met Christian before but he did look familiar to her. As she stepped on and pressed the button to AJ's floor Christian turned around as the doors were closing and smiled

"Ms. Torres" he smiled with a polite nod and that's when it hit Eve.

As soon as the doors opened Eve raced towards AJ door and started to bang on it.

"AJ!" Eve yelled hysterically "Please open the door!" she said shaking the handle then went back to hitting the door.

"Excuse me" a maid said walking over to her

"I need you to open this door" Eve demanded

"I can't just-" the maid started

"Someone is hurt in there and I need this door opened now!" Eve shouted. She didn't normally shout at people but when she did it was scary. The maid nervously placed her card in the door and opened it. "AJ!" Eve shouted looking around then found her in a fettle position on top of her covers.

"Is everything alright?" the maid asked

"Yes thank you" Eve said quickly shooing the nurse out of the room before making her way over to AJ "AJ" she said walking over to the bed and kneeling over. She gasped upon seeing her cut up face "Oh my god" she said covering her mouth with her own hand "I'm going to get help" she told AJ

"No" AJ said to her reaching for her hand "I'm ok"

"You're not ok!" Eve said hysterically feeling herself start to cry "You've been beaten!"

"I'm ok" AJ assured her again

"Why is your hair wet?" Eve asked running her hand through her still wet hair "What did he do to you?" she asked

"I'm ok" was all AJ said to her

"You need to go to the hospital" Eve insisted

"I'm not going" AJ shot at her

"You need to see somebody. Jesus April look at yourself!" Eve said horrified "If your face matches the rest of your body which I'm assuming it does you could be bleeding internally!"

"I'm not" AJ told her "They were careful"

"They?" Eve asked in shock "I can't just leave you like this" She said pulling away from AJ

"Don't please" AJ said trying to reach for her but the pain was too much for her "Don't call the police"

"I'm not calling the police" Eve informed her pulling out her phone "I'm calling someone who will make you get help" after a few moments Eve spoke into the phone "I found her….no you need to come here right now….I can't talk about it over the phone, is your match over?….good and please hurry"


	15. Powerful Man

**Chapter 15: Powerful Man**

* * *

Eve grabbed a face towel from the bathroom and soaked it before taking a seat at the edge of AJ's bed and dabbed it on her face where her cuts were causing her to hiss.

"Please don't" she pleaded lightly

"You need this" Eve said to her sadly

"They already cleaned me" AJ told her forcing her hand away "I said no"

"Ok" Eve said sadly. "What can I do?"

"Just leave me alone" she said curling further into the ball she was already in

"I can't do that" Eve frowned and that's when there was a knock at the door

"Please tell me you didn't call the police-" AJ started

"Relax" Eve said standing up and opening the door to reveal Punk. He obviously rushed out of the arena right after his match. His wrestling boots were still on and his gear was on under his basketball shorts and t-shirt.

"What happened?" Punk asked stepping into the room then looked at the floor and saw the mix of blood and vomit he looked over and saw AJ curled up on the bed

"She doesn't want me to call anyone" Eve whispered to Punk and grabbing his arm before he went over to her "I'm going to go to the lobby and wait for Doc to get back from the show and see if he'll come up and check on her" Punk didn't respond and Eve walked out the door. He slowly made his way over to her and walked to the side of the bed she was facing.

"AJ" he whispered causing her to look up at him slowly and his heart literally sank into his stomach "Oh christ" he muttered

"I'm ok" she told him "It's all artificial"

"Oh baby" he murmured sitting on the bed so he was next to her and brushed her hair away from her face "What happened?" he asked softly but he already knew deep down. This is what he was told would happen.

"What do you think?" she asked looking up at him and saw the hurt in his eyes "It's not your fault" she said to him knowing where his mind was going

"Are they still here?" Punk asked her quietly

"I have no idea but I'm sure they're long gone" AJ told him

"Who was it?" Punk asked "This couldn't have just been Christian"

"Christian didn't hit me" AJ told him "He just…"

"He what?" Punk asked

"He just watched" she told him sadly "It was one of his guys he used a belt"

"I'm going to take you to the hospital" Punk informed her "And then we're going to have them call the police"

"No" AJ said horrified "It will just make him more angry!"

"AJ you could have been killed" Punk told her trying to keep his voice down "You got a worse beaten than I did!"

"I can take it" AJ promised

"You shouldn't have to" Punk said standing up "You're hurt and you need help"

"It's ok they cleaned me up" AJ told him trying to sit up as he paced around the room

"What do you mean they cleaned you up?" Punk asked in a disgusted and annoyed voice

"They took my clothes off" AJ started and that's when Punk felt his heart racing so fast he was sure it would just fly out of his chest and end up on the floor

"They did what?" Punk asked hoping he heard her wrong

"They didn't…." she started off

"They didn't what?" Punk yelled, he had to know and he had to know _now_.

"It wasn't sexual" AJ said as her face turned to shame. "They undressed me and put me in a bath" she told him

"What kind of fucking sicko's are these people?" Punk asked more himself as he felt like ripping his hair out of his head if he hadn't just recently buzzed it all off.

"He got in with me" AJ admitted to him softly. She felt better letting it all out even though she knew telling Punk would only infuriate him more

"That son of a bitch stripped down and got into a bath with you after watching you get beaten?" Punk asked in a harsh voice and she nodded. When she nodded the confirmation he averted his eyes back down to the floor and he saw a photo next to the mess. He bent down and picked it up and saw it was a photo of him and AJ from Eve's pool the previous day

"Can I have that?" AJ asked hoping he wouldn't look at it but it was to late

"That's why he did this" Punk said looking at the photograph "He did this because of me"

"No he did this because he's sick and hates that he doesn't have power over me anymore" AJ told him in a strong voice "Do not even consider taking the blame for this. You didn't raise a hand to me and I know you never would"

"He warned me" Punk admitted to her "He told me this would happen to you if I touched you again. I didn't know-"

"It's not your fault!" AJ yelled

"I thought I'd be able to protect you" Punk muttered to himself "I didn't believe them-"

"I'm fine" AJ reminded him "It will fade"

"They beat you so bad that you vomited!" Punk yelled startling her "They did that because of me! Why didn't they just come for me?"

"I'm glad it was me" AJ said surprising him "Better me than you"

"How could you even say that?" Punk asked in a hurt voice

"Because I mean it" AJ said to him "I'll be fine and you should go"

"I'm not leaving you by yourself" Punk remarked as if she was crazy "I won't make that mistake again"

"They won't come back" AJ told him "Go and be with your girlfriend" Punk had completely forgotten about Jamie and the baby for the last five minutes

"AJ-" Punk started

"For what it's worth I think you'll make a great father" AJ told him forcing a smile even though she meant the words

"What?" Punk asked stunned…surely Eve wouldn't have said anything

"Christian told me" AJ said to him causing Punk to look surprised "I'm not mad. I'm happy for you"

"How does Christian know?" Punk asked and that's when it all started to hit him slowly

"He's powerful and knows things" AJ said to him

"He is powerful" Punk said slowly to himself

"The fact that he knows about Jamie and your baby is a scary thought" AJ told him "You should be with them, protect them" she said looking him in the eyes "I'll be fine" Punk walked back over to where he was and kneeled down so his face was only inches away from hers

"I am going to make this up to you" Punk told her in a stern voice "I swear to you if it's the last thing I do I will right all of these wrongs"

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked him confused "I'm to blame"

"No AJ he's to blame" Punk told her "And he is not going to get away with this"

"Just leave it alone. You have a family now" she reminded him

"Yea" Punk said softly "But you are a part of my life and I can't let this go" he told her "I'm going to go find Eve and she's going to stay with you" he said walking away

"Phil please don't do anything" AJ said getting off the bed quickly to follow after him but she hit the floor- hard and cried out in pain

"Damn it AJ" Punk groaned walking back over towards her and got his knees next to her "Stay in bed"

"Promise me you'll leave this alone" AJ pleaded

"Come on" Punk said swooping her up in his arms and placing her back on the bed "How bad is the pain?"

"It's bad" she admitted "It's my ribs mostly" she said and watched as his hands moved to her black sweatshirt and lifted it slightly and cringed upon seeing her torso in such bad shape

"They're probably cracked" Punk muttered "You need ice"

"That hurts too much" AJ said to him

"Or the hospital" Punk shot at her

"Ice sounds nice" AJ said softly and that's when Eve entered the room with one of the doctors that traveled with them to shows "No Eve" she insisted

"Yes" Eve said to her firmly "It's him or a doctor in a hospital" she warned and her tone was stern, AJ knew she meant it.

"Ok April let me take a look at you" the doctor frowned upon seeing her. He had known AJ a long time since she had traveled with him when she worked for the company before

"Her ribs are really bad" Punk told the doctor who nodded and lifted AJ's sweatshirt up

"You should call the police" the doctor told her "This is brutal April"

"No cops" AJ said to him "This stays between us"

"I'm a doctor I can't break confidentiality" the doctor told her

"Guys?" AJ asked looking over to Punk and Eve

"I won't say a word" Eve promised

"As long as you do what the doctor says" Punk told her

* * *

Punk left AJ's room after the doctor had fully checked her out and told them she would be fine. She had bad bruising and needed to rest. Punk volunteered to go to the store to pick up advil and ice packs for AJ. After dropping it off at her room with Eve he headed back to his room. And heard the shower running. He was glad for that because something AJ said earlier to him really bothered him…

_"For what it's worth I think you'll make a great father" AJ told him forcing a smile even though she meant the words_

"_What?" Punk asked stunned…surely Eve wouldn't have said anything_

"_Christian told me" AJ said to him causing Punk to look surprised "I'm not mad. I'm happy for you" _

"_How does Christian know?" Punk asked and that's when it all started to hit him slowly _

"_He's powerful and knows things" AJ said to_

Christian Scott was a powerful businessman but was he really powerful enough to steal medical records? And even if he was why would he look into his girlfriends' medical records? Christian Scott was powerful enough to have a lot of hired help he thought to himself. While the shower was running he grabbed Jamie's purse and poured out onto the bed and what he found alarmed him. There was a small baggy of a white substance

"Cocaine" Punk muttered to himself shaking his head. Jamie had told him she was straightedge just like him something else that bothered him was a small envelope and it was filled with cash and not a small amount of cash- there had to be a thousands of dollars of cash in that envelope. He then reached for her wallet and that was all he needed to see. Jamie Goodwin from Chicago didn't exist; he was sharing his home and life with a woman name Casey Blaine from Las Vegas Nevada.

"Hi baby" Jamie said walking out in a short robe drying her hair with a towel, his back was towards her so she didn't know what he was doing. "I was thinking we could celebrate the big baby news"

"There's no baby" Punk said turning around and she saw he found herself

"What are you doing?" she asked alarmed dropping her towel rushing towards her stuff

"Tell me" Punk seethed into her ear grabbing her roughly by her arms "Tell me!"

"I'm pregnant!" Jamie yelled

"Ok" Punk said letting her go and reaching into a plastic bag and pulling out a pregnancy test. "Take this" He demanded "Right now in front of me!"

"Those aren't even accurate" Jamie defended "You can't believe those!"

"I have a feeling the test is more honest than you Casey!" Punk yelled

"I can explain" Jamie said slowly as she started to cry

"You're working for him aren't you?" Punk asked

"I don't know what you're talking about-" Jamie started but Punk grabbed her by her arms and shook her

"Stop lying! I want answers!" he screamed in her face "You know what?" he asked letting go of her "I'll call the police instead I'm sure you'll be more honest with them. I wonder how your boss is going to feel about you getting hauled away due to possession" he said reaching for his phone

"Please don't!" She sobbed trying to grab his phone from him

"Don't worry I hear Christian Scott is a real understanding guy" Punk threatened "Start talking or I will"

"I met him in Vegas" Jamie started as she sobbed "He said it was only supposed to be a few dates with you but he made me stay! I didn't want this!"

"You're not pregnant" Punk stated rather than questioned

"No" she admitted "He told me I had to step it up! He was going to hurt me! I was scared!"

"Nothing has been the truth, has it?" Punk questioned

"You have to believe me I wanted out!" Jamie yelled "This got to be too much for me but he said he'd do terrible things to me!"

"What was his reasoning for you to do this?" Punk asked trying to contain some of his anger

"He said you were sleeping with his girlfriend and he thought if you had someone else you would stop" Jamie told him honestly "He wanted to know what you were doing too. When you'd be working and where you'd be."

"Did he want you hear tonight?" Punk asked and she nodded

"He called me yesterday and flew me out here and one of his workers gave me the sonogram" she admitted "They wouldn't tell me why"

"What was there grand plan for a few months down the road?" Punk questioned

"I don't know" Jamie told him with wide eyes "I asked them and they told me I wasn't getting paid to ask questions. I am so, so sorry"

"I knew something was right" Punk said slowly shaking his head "I should have went with my gut"

"If you call the police he will hurt me" Jamie pleaded and that's when Punk flashed to AJ's poor beaten body. As much as he hated Jamie he couldn't in good conscience let that happen.

"How much money is in there?" he asked nodding towards the envelope on the bed

"About five grand" she told him quietly. He walked over to his wallet where he had cash and pulled out a few more hundred-dollar bills and handed it to her

"Try not snort this" Punk mocked

"What is this?" Jamie asked

"That plus the money he paid you should be enough to get you on a bus out of town" Punk told her "Pack you bag and get out"

"Punk…" Jamie started

"Don't make me change my mind" Punk threatened "I don't want to see you ever again and after you walk out of this room I want you to forget we ever met"

"Ok" Jamie said slowly collecting her things off the bed. When she reached for the small bag of drugs he snatched it away

"You're not leaving with the drugs" Punk spat walking into the bathroom and flushing the substance

"For what it's worth I actually liked you" Jamie said as she got dressed

"It's worth nothing" Punk said in a cold tone watching her closely to make sure she didn't try anything

"Don't give up on her" Jamie said as she put on her jacket and grabbed her bag "He'll kill her you know" she told him in honestly causing his hard face to soften in slight fear "He's talked about it. I don't know if he meant it but he'd rather her dead than with anyone. Be careful" she warned then walked out the door

* * *

An hour later Punk grabbed his bag and knocked on AJ's door. Eve answered and let Punk inside.

"She finally fell asleep" Eve whispered and he nodded "I think the advil helped her with the pain"

"Good" Punk said feeling completely drained both emotionally and physically

"What are you doing here?" Eve asked noticing his bag

"Go get some sleep" Punk told his friend "I'm going to stay with her tonight"

"Punk that's not a good idea" Eve whispered "For a lot of reasons"

"We're not going to do anything" Punk smirked slightly

"You have a pregnant girlfriend downstairs" Eve reminded him

"No I don't" Punk said to her causing Eve to frown in confusion "It's a long story and I'll fill you in tomorrow. Go back to your room and sleep a little."

"Ok" Eve said grabbing her things "I'll come by in the morning" he just nodded and locked the door after she left.

Punk walked over to the bed and carefully crawled in next to AJ careful not disturb her but apparently he did.

"Phil?" she asked opening her eyes slowly.

"Yea" He said in a soft voice "Go back to sleep"

"Ok" she was too tired to argue and moved her head so it would rest on his chest and curled the rest of her body against his. He ran his hand through her hair while she slept, he on the other hand would be awake all night.


	16. Being Brave

**Chapter 16: Being Brave**

* * *

AJ slowly opened her eyes forgetting where she was and the pain she was in.

"Phil" She whispered lifting her head off his chest to look up at him

"Morning" he whispered

"What's going on?" she asked trying to move away but the pain shocked her body causing her to flinch

"Don't move around too much" Punk insisted "The doctor said there's no permanent damage but you have to take it easy"

"You shouldn't be here" She said to him "You should be with your family"

"You are my family" Punk told her. She had always wanted to hear that from him but she knew it wasn't right

"You have Jamie and your child" AJ told him "You should be with them"

"There is no child….or Jamie for that matter" Punk told her causing her frown in confusion

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked confused as he sat up and looked over to her

"Christian hired her" Punk informed her "Her name is Candy or Casey I don't even remember. She's a druggie from Vegas"

"No" AJ said in horror shaking her head

"Yes" Punk said to her "I found her ID, drugs and cash in her purse. I confronted her and she came clean"

"I'm sorry Phil" she frowned

"Why?" he asked with a laugh

"You thought you were going to be a father" AJ said to him "You were with her for so long-"

"I was with her a few months and children aren't in the cards for me" Punk told her "I'm actually glad it was all a lie"

"Why would he do this to you?" AJ questioned "Never mind he's a psychopath"

"He had her tell me about the pregnancy yesterday when I got here to distract me from seeing you I'm sure. I'm assuming he didn't want me to interrupt him" he told her bitterly

"Like you said I'm fine" AJ told him "No real damage"

"I said no permanent damage" Punk corrected "You're still hurt and now that you're fully awake and you've slept a little I want to know everything that happened last night"

"We need to leave" AJ told him looking at the time "It's late and we have to get to the next show"

"We're not going to the next show" Punk informed her "I spoke to Hunter and told him we were under the weather"

"And he bought that?" AJ questioned

"No but he didn't have much of a choice" Punk told her with a shrug

"I told you what happened" AJ said to him "Christian and Pete were in my room when I got here. Christian started rambling on about me being with you while Pete whipped me with a belt. I just wish they didn't get my face" she said lightly touching her cheek "I'm not superficial but I feel really ugly"

"You're not ugly" Punk told her "What happened to you was ugly, you're still beautiful"

"What am I going to do?" AJ asked him "How am I going to explain this to Hunter" she said gesturing to her face "I'm supposed to be debuting on TV this Monday and now my spot is gone." Her dreams were slowly being ripped away "That's why he hit my face." She told Punk "It wasn't all about you if that makes you feel better"

"It doesn't" Punk said to her "I wish I was here they never would have touched you" he said in a harsh tone

"I have no doubt" she said with a faint smile "Phil" she said with a smile but she started to cry, she wanted to brave "What am I going to do? I'm scared" she admitted and that crushed him

"I don't know" Punk told her honestly "But I'm not going to ditch you. This whole staying apart thing isn't working"

"I agree" AJ said to him as he used his thumb to wipe her tears that were freely falling. There was a loud knock at the door that caused AJ to flinch "He said he'd see me soon" she whispered to Punk "Don't answer it"

"It's fine" Punk promised kissing the top of her head quickly and then stood up and walked to the door. He opened it to find the COO of the company outside.

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked

"I was just about to ask you the same thing" Hunter said to him "AJ missed a show last night"

"I told you she was sick" Punk shot at him annoyed

"Yes you did and I'm here to check on her" Hunter said standing his ground

"You spoke to doc?" Punk asked him

"He works for the company Phil" Hunter said to him firmly "He didn't have a choice but to talk to me"

"Right" Punk snorted

"Step aside" Hunter told him

"She's not up for visitors" Punk told him

"It wasn't a request" Hunter shot back at him "I need to see her for myself. Or if you'd prefer I'll call the police" Punk glanced over to AJ to make sure she was dressed then stepped aside to let Hunter in

"Oh no" AJ muttered as Hunter made eye contact with her

"How are you feeling AJ?" Hunter asked in a professional voice trying to not let her appearance change his tone

"I feel…." She started as both Hunter and Punk's eyes fell upon her "…like I got the crap kicked out of me"

"You look it" Hunter agreed

"If you're going to be a jackass to her you can get out" Punk warned his boss

"I'm not trying to be" Hunter told him "I'm just wondering why the police weren't called immediately and a handful of my employees worked to cover this up"

"I asked them not to" AJ told him "If I go to the police it will be so much worse"

"AJ I'm going to talk to you as a friend and not a boss" Hunter said to her "You need to go to the police. You need tell them that Christian Scott did this. Money can't buy you everything. What happened to you was very wrong and it's not right that he walks away like that. Also if you don't go to the police we can't protect you."

"He didn't do this" AJ said to him "I mean he was here but he physically didn't hit me. Someone else did"

"What about what he did after the beating?" Punk asked folding his arms "I'm sure he broke a law or two there"

"What did he do?" Hunter asked her

"He took my clothes off and bathed with me" AJ told Hunter who looked horrified, it was probably the last thing he expected to hear

"You can take a stand AJ" Hunter insisted "You can show this guy that he can't break you. Go to the police"

"I just don't see how it will solve anything" AJ said trying to get out of this

"Well Punk didn't go to the police when they jumped him and look what happened" Hunter pointed out. Punk didn't like the dig but Hunter was right and he wasn't going to argue it

"You have no idea how far his reach goes" AJ warned Hunter

"We're willing to take the risk" Hunter said to her "Either you go to the police or I do."

"I'll go with you" Punk said to her "It's the right thing AJ"

"Ok" AJ said reluctantly giving in

"Good" Hunter said with a faint smile "Can I have a word with you outside while AJ gets ready?" he asked Punk who nodded

"I'll be right back" Punk said to her before following Hunter outside

"This should have been reported last night" Hunter seethed "Are you insane!"

"I can't force her to do something she doesn't want to do" Punk defended

"She could have been killed" Hunter said in a low angry voice

"You don't think I don't know that?" Punk questioned "I'm more pissed off than anyone is!"

"You can take today, make sure she gets to the police station but you need to report at the next event tomorrow" Hunter told him

"As long as AJ's ok to travel I'll be there" Punk told him

"It's best AJ takes some time" Hunter said to him

"You think I'm going to send her home to be a sitting duck?" Punk mocked "No chance in hell and you better not use this an excuse to fire her"

"We're not going to fire her" Hunter said annoyed that Punk would even think that "But she needs to recuperate"

"She can do it on the road with me" Punk said to him

"I'll talk to Vince and see if we can hire a security guard" Hunter told him brushing it off

"No. Me" Punk said standing his ground "I don't trust anybody else with her"

"I don't know how your girlfriend is going to feel about that" Hunter shot at him

"My girlfriend? Oh she left town last night" Punk told him "After I found out Christian Scott hired her"

"What?" Hunter asked with a laugh. This was all to ridiculous to him

"He hired some street walker from Vegas to be my girlfriend" Punk informed him "She told me she was pregnant last night I found out she was being paid by Christian this whole time"

"This is the most insane story" Hunter said shaking his head "So she's not pregnant"

"No" Punk said to him "She was trying to distract me from going to AJ's room. So while I was slowly getting excited about being a father to a none-existent child, Christian Scott was upstairs watching AJ get beaten. I'm not make that mistake again"

"I'll talk to Vince" Hunter told him "Get her to the police station though"

"Ok" Punk said turning to head back into the room

"I'm sorry" Hunter said to him surprising him "Thinking you're going to be a father only to find it was a lie must hurt I don't care how tough you act"

"I never wanted to be a father" Punk informed him as Hunter frowned

"That's what I always said" Hunter said to him then pulled out his phone and walked away from the room

* * *

Punk and AJ headed to the police station and Punk stayed with her while she gave her statement and watched as the officers took photos of her injuries. They informed her Christian Scott was out of state but they would be putting a warrant out for his arrest and it wouldn't be long before he would be arrested and questioned. They didn't seem to confidant they would be able to get charges to stick with Christian but Pete his right hand man would be prosecuted with her testimony.

"I'm still not sure about this" AJ said as they entered her hotel room "No one has ever gone after Christian like this"

"And that's why he has so much power" Punk said as he removed his jacket "You're slowly taking that away from him. So are you hungry?"

"Actually I'm starving" AJ informed with a small smile "I feel like I have eaten in days"

"Probably because you haven't" Punk said grabbing a menu for room service "What do you want?"

"A burger" she told him "And fries"

"Ok" Punk said as he reached for the phone and placed the order. He watched as AJ tried to pull her sweatshirt off but struggled due to the pain from her ribs. "Stop" he said walking over to her and helping her out of her sweatshirt leaving her in her tank-top

"Thanks" She whispered

"You didn't tell me how they tapped your wrists" Punk said to her. He heard in great detail everything Christian and Pete did to her that night and she had left out how they tied her wrists and ankles together with duct tape

"I didn't see why you needed to know that" AJ told him

"I want to know everything" Punk told her

"Why? What does it matter?" she questioned "It's over and I don't want to think about it. But I am kind of grossed out that one of Christians guys watched us have sex in the pool"

"Yea" Punk agreed "That pisses me off too"

"Hopefully not as much as it pissed Christian off" AJ teased but he didn't seem the humor in her joke "You've got to laugh about it or you'll just cry"

"I feel a lot of emotions right now- crying and laughing aren't either of them " Punk told her

"I hope you don't get in trouble for being here with me" AJ told him "I don't think Hunter was pleased"

"I don't care" Punk told her honestly

"What if they take your title?" AJ asked

"I don't care" Punk repeated "You're my priority not my job or some championship belt"

"Do you mean that?" AJ asked him

"Yea" Punk said to her "We've wasted enough time and I've made all the wrong decisions"

"Can we talk about Jamie?" she asked him

"I'd rather not" Punk remarked coldly "I'm trying to forget about her"

"I know you're hurt" AJ said to him "You have every right to be and it's ok"

"I'm angry" Punk told her "I'm not hurt"

"She told you that you would be a father" AJ reminded him

"I thought I was going to be a father five hours. It didn't sink enough to effect me much" Punk smirked

"I'm sure it did" AJ said softly

"I was relieved AJ" Punk admitted "I don't know if it was because I didn't want to be a father or because I didn't want to be a father to her child"

"I meant what I said last night you would make a great father" AJ told him sincerely

"I don't want to be a father" Punk told her honestly "I didn't have the best childhood" he confided "My dad was a drunk and my mother loved my brother a lot more than me" he smirked lightly "I didn't feel wanted and I don't want my child to feel that way"

"You think you would neglect your child?" AJ asked stunned "I don't buy that for a second. You wouldn't make the same mistakes your parents did"

"I'm to selfish to have a child" Punk said to her causing AJ to let out a laugh

"You are the most selfless person I have ever met in my life" AJ said to him

"All I could think about when she told me she was pregnant was you" Punk admitted "I didn't want this child because I knew it would ruin our relationship if that isn't selfish than I don't know what is" before she could respond there was a knock at the door and their room service had arrived.

* * *

Later that night Punk was lying on the bed watching TV when AJ walked over to him.

"I need your help" AJ said to him nervously

"Sure" he said turning off the TV "What's up?"

"I have to take a shower and I can't get out of my clothes" She admitted nervously and he nodded

"Come on" he said standing up with hesitation and leading her into the bathroom. He helped tug her shirt over her head then pulled her sweat pants down and helped her slowly step out of them "You should probably be taking a bath though"

"Yea I don't think I'm going to bathing anytime soon" AJ told him quietly.

"That's all he did right?" Punk asked her looking directly into her eyes "He didn't try to force you into sex?"

"No" AJ said to him "He told me he would never do that, that he wasn't a monster. But-"

"But what?" Punk asked cupping her cheek

"He kept kissing my shoulders" she admitted feeling embarrassed that she even talking about it "I just wanted to scrub them but he wouldn't let me. I still feel his lips there-" she said as her voice filled with anger and her face turned red. Punk lowered his head and kissed her right shoulder tenderly then moved over to her left one and kissed that one as well.

"Thank you" she whispered as he pulled away

"I'll run you a bath" he told her as he turned around to turn on the water for her

"Really hot, please?" she requested

"Sure" he said as he let the water fill all the way to the top then helped her out of her underwear and held her hand as she stepped into the tub "Feel good?"

"Really good actually" She said with a faint smile

"I'll give you some privacy just call me when you're done" Punk said

"Stay" AJ said to him "Talk to me or sing or something" she smirked as she leaned back against the tub

"I'm all talked out and singing would just cause your ears to bleed" he smirked "Lean forward and help clean the cuts on your back" she lifted her knees to her chest and leaned forward like he said while he took a seat at the edge of the tub and grabbed a loofa and soap and started to clean her back "It's already looking better"

"Yea?" AJ asked hopefully "You think I'll be better by Monday?"

"No" Punk chuckled "You're going to miss your TV debut and for that I'm sorry"

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be" AJ said simply

"It will happen. Don't worry" Punk promised

"I'm not worried" AJ said to him "I'm actually just happy to be alive. I really thought I was going to die the other night." She admitted for the first time "I was at peace with it too" Punk wasn't sure how to respond to that "I blacked out briefly after the first few hits and the only thing I can remember was the last thing I thought of before it all went dark"

"What was that?" Punk asked softly as he ran the water over her back

"You" she told him simply with a soft smile "I flashed to the first time you talked to me in the hallway at the arena. I had no idea what an impact you'd have on my life" Punk chuckled lightly

"Same here" he agreed "But I hope before I go the last image I have is of you….in the pool" he teased causing her to giggle as he finished washing her back and moved off the tub so he was kneeling outside of the tub near her face

"I told Christian last night that our night in the pool was worth the beating" AJ said with a sly smile "I meant it"

"We'll have other goodnights" Punk promised

"I hope so" AJ said looking towards him and leaned over and gave him a slow sensual kiss, one that he responded to quickly. After a few minutes he pulled away

"When you're better of course" Punk said to her causing her to nod

"Of course" AJ agreed smiling against his lips

* * *

Christian Scott was heading into a very important meeting. One that if it went according to plan he would make millions. As he approached his conference room doors he was surprised to see two uniformed police officers and three detectives.

"Gentlemen is there a problem?" Christian questioned

"Christian Scott?" The detective questioned

"Yes" Christian said unsurely

"You're under arrest" the uniformed officer informed him

"What?" Christian asked stunned as the officer cuffed him from behind "What for?"

"Assault, battery and kidnapping to name a few" one detective informed him "You have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be used against you in….."

"Clarice call my attorney" he instructed his secretary who nodded and quickly started dialing a number from her phone "This is outrageous"

"Tell that to Ms. Mendez" the Detective told him "The rich ones are always the crazy ones"

"Ms. Mendez is my girlfriend" Christian informed them with a laugh

"Not according to her" the Detective told him "And not according to the bruises and cuts you left on her"

"I would never lay a hand on any woman" Christian said as they officers led him to the elevator

"Would you pay someone to?" the Detective asked annoyed "Some one like Peter Cryer? Yea we got to him an hour ago"

Down at the police station Christian was being questioned by the detectives with is lawyer present. The interrogation didn't last long Pere Cryer confessed to the crime of assaulting AJ and told them that Christian had nothing to do with it and he wasn't even present at the time. It would only be AJ's word against his and the DA knew that wouldn't stand in court, they already had a confession and that was good enough for them.

"I can't believe she called the cops" Christian said to his attorney as they sat in the back of his SUV

"It worse than that" his attorney told him

"How could this be worse? The press is having a field day! And now one of my most trusted confidants is going to prison!" he shouted

"I told you we'll work on getting him deal" the attorney told him "Vince McMahon is planning on suing you"

"What?" Christian asked stunned "For what?"

"Basically for costing him money" the attorney told him "Miss. Mendez and Mr. Brooks have missed some live shows now"

"I wasn't even charged with the crime that won't stick and he knows it" Christian scoffed

"He knows but I think this is more his way of saying 'leave my people alone'" The attorney told him "Which I recommend you do"

"Vince McMahon is no match for me" Christian informed him arrogantly

"He's looking a lot better than you do" the attorney told him honestly "We've discussed this! You can't be present during these types of things"

"I didn't think she'd call the police" Christian told him "That idiot Brooks must have talked her into it"

"Yea about that we tried to reach Casey and she's off the grid as well" The attorney told him

"She told him the truth" Christian smirked "I'll be damned"

"Jack said she left the hotel around one in the morning and never returned. Punk never left" the attorney told him

"Brilliant" Christian mocked "A hooker with a conscience who would have guessed?"

"You're getting sloppy Christian" the attorney scolded lightly

"Love makes you do crazy things" was all Christian said in his defense

"It's time to move on. Leave the girl alone" the attorney told him

"No" Christian said firmly

"This could get worse I really think-" the attorney started but Christian cut him off

"-I said no" Christian said in a low voice "She's mine and she always has been"

"Well now you have Vince McMahon involved in this" the attorney reminded him

"Just worry about getting Peter's sentenced reduced" Christian said to him

"If I work for him it's going to look bad for you" that attorney told him

"You're right" Christian agreed suddenly "Let him fry. He'll keep his mouth shut"

* * *

Punk and AJ were sleeping since they had an early flight when his cell phone started to ring. He carefully moved away from AJ and rolled over to grab his phone, he had a few messages and was infuriated when he read them.

"What is it?" AJ asked in a sleepy voice

"They arrested Christian and that piece of shit Pete" Punk told her

"That's good right?" AJ asked still only half awake

"Christian already walked" Punk informed her

"I knew he would" AJ said to him

"That idiot Peter took the fall for the entire thing" Punk said and she just nodded

"So what happens now?" AJ questioned

"Well now I have to hope you don't get sick of me" Punk muttered putting his phone back on the table

"Why is that?" AJ asked as Punk laid back down and AJ wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat

"Because you're not going anywhere without me" he informed casually "We're going to be glued at the hip"

"I actually like the sound of that" AJ smiled against his bare chest kissing the spot above his heart before snuggling her head against him again

"Remember you said that" Punk smirked against her hair


	17. Where We Stand

**Chapter 17: Where We Stand**

* * *

Punk and AJ skipped the next house show as well while the press died down a little and headed to Raw the following Monday.

"I'm really nervous" AJ admitted to Punk as they walked towards the arena doors

"Why?" Punk questioned glancing down at her. She had big sunglasses on to cover her face and one of Punk's hoodies on as well. "You don't have to talk anyone here you know that right?"

"Everyone is going to be judging me" AJ said to him "I'm going to be the weak little Diva and everyone is going to laugh behind my back"

"Trust me no one is going to be laughing" Punk told her seriously "And if they do they'll have to deal with me"

"I can stand up for myself" AJ told him

"Yes I know but it's a lot more fun if you let me do it" Punk smirked as they entered the arena together. "You're fine" he whispered into her ear and grabbed her hand. She couldn't help but smile faintly. There was something about hand holding that she really loved. It wasn't an over the top gesture but it read volumes to people. It meant she was with him and he was proud of it.

"Punk" a lower level execute said walking over to him "Vince wants to see you"

"Go ahead" AJ told him "I'll be in the locker room"

"Actually he wants to see you as well" the man told them politely "His office is 201"

"I've never met him before" AJ informed Punk

"Relax his bark is worse than his bite" Punk assured her as they headed down the hall towards Vince's office

"Really?" AJ asked

"No" Punk told her honestly and smirked as her face fell "He'll be fine with you don't worry. He likes you"

"He doesn't know me" AJ reminded him

"Believe me Vince McMahon knows everything" Punk smirked "You wouldn't have been called up if he didn't like you."

"What if he's going to fire me?" AJ asked him nervously "Look at all the bad press he's getting-"

"He's not going to fire you" Punk laughed "Trust me. If anything he'll want you on TV quicker to milk some of this story" he stopped once they reached his office

"Maybe you should just go in" AJ said to him quickly

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you" Punk promised before knocking on the door

"Come in!" Vince yelled. Punk stepped into the office first and practically dragged AJ in by the hand

"You wanted to see me?" Punk asked

"…I have to call you back" Vince said into his cell phone and quickly hung up "Yes sit" he told him and then stood up and walked over to AJ "You must be April" he said shaking her hand

"Hi Mr. McMahon" she said nervously

"Don't be nervous" Vince said offering her a smile "Take a sit please" he told her and she nodded "I just wanted to know how you were feeling. I was absolutely disgusted when I heard what happened"

"I'm feeling a lot better" AJ told him "I'm sorry that my face isn't camera ready I was really looking forward to working tonight"

"And we were looking forward to having you" Vince frowned "You've generated a lot of positive buzz in FCW" he noted "I've kept a close eye on you and I want you to know this little hiccup hasn't changed a thing. As soon as you're ready you'll be on TV"

"Thank you that means a lot to me" AJ told him finally feeling herself smile

"Your safety is another reason I called you in here today" Vince started "I know there were a few arrests made but not the one we were all hoping for"

"The man they arrested and charged is the one that did this to me" AJ told Vince honestly

"He didn't do it alone" Vince pointed out "I want to make you as comfortable here as possible so we're going to make sure you have traveling buddies-"

"-I'll be traveling with her" Punk said cutting him off "AJ can work with me"

"AJ is going to be working with John Cena and Dolph Ziggler- that's opposite of your shows" Vince pointed out

"I'm going to be traveling with AJ" Punk told him slowly

"Punk" Vince started with a smile

"It's not negotiable" Punk warned "Move me to their show or move them to mine I don't really care"

"I think you two traveling together paints too much of a target on you both" Vince admitted to him "We think-"

"-I don't give a damn what you thought" Punk shot at him

"I'll see what I can do" Vince said to him

"Let her work with me" Punk suggested surprising them both

"What?" Vince asked with a laugh "You've told me time and time again that after your Kelly Kelly story you wouldn't do another Diva's story"

"I've changed my mind" Punk told him "AJ is very talented. She can wrestle and talk- we'd be good together"

"You're working with Paul" Vince pointed out

"And Brock is coming back and he'll be with him" Punk shrugged "Put her with me this way we could also travel together"

"I'll talk to creative" Vince said to him "I also have to talk to Heyman even though I know he's AJ's biggest fan" he smirked "He really talked you up- the only other time he was like that was with Punk" he smirked "And I know he's been working with you very closely so I'm sure he'd be fine with it"

"Paul was working with you?" Punk asked turning to glance at AJ

"Yea here and there" AJ shrugged slightly

"Here and there? Paul said you two were working though the night" Vince laughed "Are you still staying at his home Tampa by the way? We'd actually like to-"

"You were living in Paul's house?" Punk asked her stunned

"Not with him" AJ defended

"Obviously" Punk snorted "He told me-" he stopped when he realized Vince was still sitting there "Are we done?"

"Yes for now" Vince said and Punk stood up and quickly grabbed AJ by her hand and rushed her out of the office

"What's wrong?" AJ asked as they exited the office

"Paul didn't tell me he was helping you" Punk said to her "I asked him to find out where you were staying and he told me he didn't know and this whole time you were in his house?"

"Don't be mad" AJ said quickly

"I'm not mad at you" Punk said to her

"He told me you asked him to let me stay at his place" AJ pointed out

"Why didn't he tell me?" Punk asked her "I wanted to see you- maybe this all could have been avoided if he had been honest with me"

"He knew telling you would be too dangerous" AJ said to him "He did the right thing"

"I'm really sick and tired of people lying to me and defending themselves by saying it's the right thing to do for me. I know the right thing to do" Punk said pointing at himself

"He was just trying to protect you" AJ defended "He loves you like a son"

"He lied to me" Punk told her

"I told him to" AJ said to him

"His loyalties should be with me" Punk said to her "He acted as if he had barely seen you wrestle and now Vince is making it sound like he's the reason you were called up so quickly"

"He was just trying to help us" AJ told him "Cut him some slack"

"You don't get it" Punk said shaking his head "Paul is one of my closest friends here he knew what you meant to me- he knew what being apart from you did to me and he knew not knowing how you were was driving me crazy"

"He did this for you" AJ reminded him "He loves you and you should be thanking him because he did keep me safe. When I arrived back to Tampa after leaving Chicago Paul was waiting outside the hotel in his car and gave me the heads up that a few of Christian's people were inside. He drove me off to his place and there was many times Jack tried to get into FCW and Paul would shoo him away. He had my back when no one else did"

"He did that?" Punk asked and she nodded with a slight smile

"You can't be mad at him" AJ informed him "I'm going to go look for Eve. I haven't seen her in a few days and I promised I'd find her when I got here"

"Ok" Punk said to her "When you're done meet me back at my locker room" he told her and she nodded as she started to walk away he grabbed her arm lightly and pulled her into a kiss in the middle of hallway. She immediately started to blush when he pulled away. He didn't say anything to her after the kiss he just walked past her and headed towards his locker room.

* * *

AJ found Eve in a makeup chair getting ready for tonight when she walked over to her.

"Thank god" Eve said to her "I was worried sick about you"

"I'm much better" AJ assured her

"Your face looks better" Eve noted as she took AJ's sunglasses off "How's the rest of your wounds?"

"It's really just my ribs everything else just stings a bit" AJ admitted

"How did you get here tonight?" Eve asked

"Phil" AJ told her "He's glued himself to my hip"

"I'm not surprised" Eve smiled "How are things with him?"

"I don't know what we are" AJ admitted with a shrug "We kiss sometimes but he hasn't said what he wants and I don't want to push it. I think he's still shaken up by the whole Jamie thing"

"That bitch" Eve muttered "I wish I could have gotten my hands on her before she left"

"I feel so bad for him" AJ told her "He doesn't really want to talk about it but I know he's crushed"

"Good thing he has to you to lean on" Eve said to her

"I don't want to be a rebound" AJ told her

"Jamie was the rebound" Even pointed out "So I have to ask what are you going to do after SmackDown? We're all off for the week and I spoke to Rener and we'd more than happy to have you while you get back on your feet"

"Thank you for the offer it's very sweet but I'm already on my feet" AJ smiled "And I need to get back home to Tampa"

"Are you sure?" Eve asked "I don't think that's such a good idea"

"If Christian wanted to hurt me he would have done it already" AJ informed her "He's going to be laying low waiting for this story to die down so actually this is probably the safest time for me"

"Does Punk know?" Eve asked

"No but he didn't say anything about this week" AJ shrugged "He'll get over it"

"We'll see" Eve smirked as she got out of the seat "Take a seat"

"What? Why? I'm not going on tonight" AJ said sitting

"We're going to cover up that nasty bruise on your cheek so you can stop hiding behind sunglasses" Eve told her as she waved the makeup artist over

* * *

When Punk entered his locker room Paul was already there waiting for him to arrive

"I was starting to get nervous" Paul admitted "I heard what happened, how's April doing?"

"She's tough" Punk said to her "But you already know that"

"I'm not following" Paul said with a smile

"Vince told me how closely you two were working together. You put her up in your home" Punk told him "Why did you lie to me? I didn't need you to protect me"

"I was actually trying to protect her" Paul told him honestly "She still had eyes on her and I know you had eyes on you. I'm sorry if you feel betrayed and that wasn't my intention but I don't regret it"

"I was pissed" Punk admitted "But AJ told me how you looked out for her."

"I like her" Paul admitted "I had to help and protect you both"

"Don't do it again" Punk warned "I need to know everything going on with AJ for now on"

"Is that because of the safety concern or personal reasons?" Paul smirked

"It's for her safety" Punk told him

"I heard about Jamie….." Paul started

"Who hasn't?" Punk mocked

"I never liked her" Paul said to him

"I know, you were right about her" Punk said with a groan

"Like I said I like AJ" Paul smirked

"AJ just got beaten" Punk reminded him "The last thing she's thinking about is a relationship"

"You two spent time together in LA though how did that go?" Paul asked "On Tuesday you were ripping her a new one and now you're all over her"

"We slept together" Punk admitted

"In LA?" Paul asked pretending to be surprised

"Well Monday and again in LA" Punk told him "But what we did in LA is the reason Christian 'punished' her"

"I get he's powerful but how does he know what you two are doing behind closed doors?" Paul snorted as Punk looked a little guilty "It wasn't behind closed doors?" he asked while Punk remained silent "You had sex with her outside?"

"I don't want to talk about it" Punk groaned

"No you've already gone this far" Paul laughed "Did you two do it like in the middle of the seminar?"

"The pool Paul" Punk said annoyed "We had sex in Rener's pool, ok? Happy now?"

"Not as happy as you must have been" Paul grinned

"Christian had someone watch us and take photos" Punk informed him

"That's disturbing" Paul said in a low voice

"Tell me about it" Punk grunted "That fantastic night is now forever tainted by some horny pervert watching us"

"So you two will just have to keep your sexual encounters indoors" Paul shrugged simply

"She can barely walk" Punk pointed out to him "The last thing I'm thinking I'm about right now is getting in her pants."

"So are you two officially together or what?" Paul asked

"What did I say?" Punk shot at his friend annoyed "I'm not even thinking about that"

"Well her wounds are going to heal" Paul pointed out "And she'll go back to being an incredibly sexy new WWE Diva that a lot of men are going to be interested in"

"Paul I can't think about this right now" Punk said annoyed

"You two have wasted enough time" Paul encouraged "But if you're willing to risk it all ok. Go back to just casual sex with her"

"Being with her will get her hurt" Punk reminded him "I haven't forgotten that"

"Being without her also got her hurt" Paul shot back "But what do I know?" he said innocently standing up walking to the door "By the way I saw that kiss you planted on her earlier" he added before opening the door

"Oh sorry" AJ smiled as she stepped into the room

"AJ" Paul grinned "We were just talking about you"

"All good things I hope" AJ smirked

"Always" Paul smiled "You look a lot better than I thought you would"

"Gee thanks" AJ mocked "But one of the makeup artists took pity on me and covered up my face"

"You look beautiful" he said leaning down and kissing her cheek "I'll see you in a bit Punk!" he said before leaving the room

"So what do you think?" AJ asked gesturing to her face

"You look good" Punk agreed slightly "How are those ribs holding up?"

"They hurt still but it's better" AJ told him "Walking around again is helping"

"Sit" Punk instructed pointing to the leather couch in his locker room

"Yes sir" AJ mocked sitting on the couch as Punk took a seat next to her "I wanted you to know that after SmackDown I'm flying back to Tampa. But this time I promise to keep in touch" she teased

"Tampa, huh?" Punk asked and she nodded

"I haven't been home in forever" AJ told him "I need to take care of my place- well Paul's place actually"

"Ok" Punk said to her "I'll change my flight"

"You don't have to" AJ insisted

"Do you not want me there?" Punk asked her with a smirk

"It's not that. I love spending time with you and I feel safe with you" AJ told him and the fact that she felt safe with him made him feel good. "I just don't want you to give up your limited free time for me. I'm pretty sure Christian is in hiding so I'm good"

"I meant what I told you last night, we're going to be attached for now on" Punk informed her "If you are going to be in Tampa than so am I" Punk told her "And I don't want to just be there to look out for you but I want to be there to just be with you. I like you AJ and I want to spend more time with you"

"Ok" she smiled lightly "So how great of a job did the makeup artist do?" she asked with a smile "It's like the bruise isn't even there"

"It is covered but you don't need makeup" Punk told her honestly as he brushed her hair behind her ear. AJ made a bold decision and decided to pull him into a kiss and she knows she surprised him. But Punk returned the kiss in kind and tugged her onto his lap so she was startling him. They were engaged in a hot and heavy makeup session for over five minutes before Punk's body started to respond to her and his hands wandered to her back and glided under her sweatshirt so there skin could have contact. AJ flinched at the touch in pain and pulled away slightly

"Sorry" she muttered "It still hurts a little"

"No I'm sorry" Punk said removing his hands quickly but AJ stayed on his lap and rested her forehead against his "We got a little out of hand"

"I just want the pain to go away" she whispered

"It will" Punk promised peeking her lips "You just need some more time"

"I miss being with you" she admitted "I don't even know what we are to each other but I know I want you to touch me" she said to him

"Believe me I wan to" Punk smirked lightly "But I want do anything to cause you anymore pain" he said to her

"My lips are ok" AJ suggested

"Let me see" he teased in a serious voice as he examined her lips "Yea they seem to be as perfect as the first time that I saw them. We just can't get out of hand" he told her and she nodded against him. As she leaned down to kiss him again the door swung open scaring AJ and causing her to almost jump across the room "This is a private locker room!" Punk yelled at the older producer "Knock before entering!"

"Sorry Punk" the guy said feeling embarrassed himself "But these flowers-"

"Someone sent me flowers?" Punk laughed taking them

"No they sent them to her" he said nodding towards AJ "I was told she was in here"

"Great" Punk muttered

"I'm really sorry about-" before the producer could finish talking Punk slammed the door in his face

"I wonder who they're from" AJ said taking the large bouquet of red roses from him "Maybe I have a secret admirer" she smirked

"Great" Punk muttered "Just what I need"

"Hmm?" she asked not hearing him

"I said they look great" Punk said to her and she just smiled as she pulled the card out of the flowers

"They're from Christian" AJ informed him and Punk walked over and snatched the note from her small hands

_'I deeply apologize for the actions of my former employee Mr. Cryer. I will see to it that he pays for what he did to you. I understand your confusion on the matter and maybe we could clear this all up over dinner one night in the near future. These roses don't make up for your pain but hopefully help. I love you and will be seeing you shortly. Always yours, Christian'_


	18. In Your Defense

**Chapter 18: In Your Defense**

* * *

Raw and SmackDown went by without a problem except for the roses that really pissed Punk off. He was in a bad mood for the next two days. He didn't take it on AJ but he a few of the guys in the locker room and stagehands were at the receiving end of his bad mood. The flight to Tampa was quiet, Punk opted to sleep the entire the flight and when they got off the plane his mood was still foul.

"You need to stop" AJ warned as they grabbed their luggage

"Stop what?" Punk asked

"This mood" AJ frowned "Because once we get to my place it's just you and I and if you think I'm going to let you take this mood out on me you've got another thing coming"

"I wouldn't do that" Punk promised "And my mood is fine"

"They're just flowers" AJ reminded him

"I don't want to talk about them" Punk remarked.

"I thought when you tossed them across the room that would get out some of your aggression" AJ teased

"It's not funny AJ" Punk said "Any my mood is fine" he said to her

"Ok" AJ said not wanting to argue as they walked through the airport together

"Hey! CM Punk!" a man shouted

"Aren't you going to stop?" AJ asked Punk

"No" Punk said with a snort

"Punk! Can I get a picture?" the man asked jogging up to them

"No fuck off" Punk said to the guy

"You don't have to be such a dick" the guy said keeping up pace with them "I'm a huge fan! It's not like I'm- wait you're AJ!" the guy said finally noticing AJ "I've seen some of your FCW matches can I get a picture?"

"No sorry" she muttered trying to keep up with Punk who desperately wanted out of the airport and was a few feet ahead of her

"Come on" he smiled lightly tugging on her arm causing her to flinch and Punk caught it out of the corner of his eye

"Are you insane!" Punk shouted grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt

"Punk" AJ warned but Punk had shoved the man onto the floor

"I didn't mean-" the fan said nervously

"You can't just go around touching people!" Punk yelled

"You're hurting me man!" the man shouted

"You don't like it so much do you?" Punk seethed

"Punk it's enough" AJ said as she noticed people were now stopping and looking at the scene

"I'm sorry" the fan said as Punk let go

"Let's go Phil" AJ whispered grabbing his arm lightly. Punk just grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out of the airport.

* * *

"Are you ok?" AJ asked as they were both sitting in the back of a cab

"Yea" Punk said calmly "Why?"

"You almost tore that guy apart" AJ said to him

"He shouldn't have put his hands on you" Punk told her "I think I under reacted actually"

"He didn't hurt me" AJ reminded

"He shouldn't have touched you" Punk repeated slowly

"I'm not a possession" AJ said to him "I've dealt with that enough from man"

"I really hate when you compare me to him" Punk said to her bitterly "And I know you're not a possession but you're a person and you shouldn't be pawed at like an animal at a petting zoo"

"I know you're not like him" AJ told him "But I could have handled it"

"Whatever AJ" Punk groaned "I'm tired and I can't get into this right now"

"Fine" she remarked turning in her slightly so she was gazing out the window

* * *

Once they got to her place Punk was surprised by how big it was. Who knew Paul had such a big place in Tampa?

"You can stay in Paul's room" AJ told him as she closed the door behind him "I sleep in the guest room" she said walking past him and up the stairs. Clearly she was still upset about earlier he thought to himself. He waited a few minutes but decided to follow her upstairs.

"Is there a reason you want me to sleep in Paul's room?" Punk questioned

"I just thought you wanted space" AJ said to him simply as she unpacked a few things

"I don't want space from you" Punk told her "I'm sorry if I scared you at the airport and I'm protective it's just the way I am" he told her as he just watched her unpack and put some things in her dresser "I'm not like him AJ I swear"

"I know that" AJ said looking over to him "But I'm just so sick and tired of being treated like a china doll. I could have handled it"

"I know" Punk sighed feeling his anger start to leave "I can't just turn this off though. I don't have an on/off switch this is who I am"

"I don't want you to change" AJ sighed placing the rest of her luggage on the floor and sitting on the bed "I just want you to try a little. I know you're scared for me and I love you for that but you're not the only one who was affected by this ordeal." The fact that AJ said 'love' wasn't lost on Punk.

"I'll try" he promised

"That's all I ask" she said simply as he walked over to her so he was standing in front of her sitting form and cupped her cheeks while leaning down to kiss her

"Do I still have to sleep in Paul's room?" Punk questioned

"No" she smiled pulling him down so he was lying on top of her

"Do you realize how important you are to me?" Punk whispered against her lips and before she could respond he leaned in and kissed her again while her arms wrapped his neck "I just want you to feel safe"

"I do when you're around" she assured him "I feel very safe among other things" she smiled before she pulled his face against hers again

"You're still hurt" Punk said pulling away but he really didn't want to

"I'm feeling much better" she assured him "And you'll be gentle…right?" she asked wrapping her legs around his waist

"I can do gentle" he smirked giving in finally "Slow" he added before kissing her again

"Really slow" she agreed

"I like slow" he whispered against her cheek as he unbuttoned her jeans but he was quickly overpowered by AJ who flipped him over and he was now lying underneath her

"I'll take the lead" she grinned moving her hands to his jeans and pulling them off of him

"I'm all for that" Punk smiled placing his hands behind his hands as he watched AJ removed her own bottoms and then crawled back on top of him. He ran his hands undershirt then tugged it off of her body.

"We should keep it on" she said still self-conscience over her wounds. They weren't as bad and they were fading but AJ felt she couldn't be sexy with the marks. Punk sat up while she was straddling him

"You're gorgeous" he assured her before kissing one of the marks on her torso then another and another

"You don't have to" AJ told him

"You're so beautiful" Punk said as his hands moved behind her to her butt and gave them a firm squeeze causing her to giggle

"Enough games" AJ said kissing him and as AJ raised her hips to lower herself onto him the guestroom door swung open

"AJ?" the voice asked

"Ah!" She screamed out and immediately Punk flipped her over so she was out of the view of the intruder

"Oh my god!" Paul Heyman shouted "I am so sorry!" he said quickly "I didn't realize you were here Punk" he said to him covering his eyes with his hand

"Yea well I am" Punk said not wanting to move or Paul would get a view of AJ's almost perfectly naked body

"Do you really think-" Paul started

"Out Paul!" Punk yelled

"Right sorry" he said quickly before leaving the room and closing the door

"Oh my god" AJ laughed hysterically as Punk looked down at her red face "Do you think he saw anything?"

"Yea" Punk said annoyed but she just continued to laugh

"We should get dressed" AJ said to him but he responded by entering her quickly causing her to hitch a breath

"He already knows" Punk smiled "Just try to keep it down"

"Oh god" she groaned as her head crashed against the mattress. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tried to pull him closer

"No baby" he whispered against her ear "Nice and slow, remember?" he asked nipping at her ear

"I changed my mind" she muttered as his wet lips moved down the side of her face and down to her throat and only moved his pelvis against her in response. "Ok this is….it will work" he just smiled as she loosened her legs from around his waist and placed the soles of her feet on the mattress and he began to move ever so slowly in and out of her. AJ used her hands to tug Punk's shirt over his head "I love these…" she said as her hands roamed over his chest-covered tattoos. Punk rested his head against her forehead while he used his arms to hold himself up to keep most of his weight off of her. The slow build was driving AJ and Punk crazy and after ten minutes Punk grabbed her left leg and maneuvered it higher so his position changed slightly and he knew he hit her sweet spot. Her eyes rolled completely to the back of her head and her breathing became heavier.

"There it is" he grinned down at her and very proud of himself for bringing her to this level of pleasure

"Yes" she almost shouted

"Shh" Punk laughed lightly

"I can't-" she said feeling her stomach start to tighten.

"He'll hear us" Punk whispered against her ear before gently nipping on her earlobe

"I don-" she started to say loudly but Punk leaned in and kissed her as her muscles tightened around him which in return caused him to release into her. His moans of pleasure were much louder than hers though…

"Are you ok?" was the first thing Punk asked as he carefully pulled out of her and rolled onto his back

"So good" were the only words AJ could muster causing him to laugh

"Are you sure you're ok? I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked rolling onto his side

"You were perfect to me" AJ promised giving him a light peek on the lips

"You deserve nothing less" he told her running his finger down her cheek

"Hey…" they heard Paul's voice outside the door and he knocked lightly "…are you guys still….uh…you know…"

"We'll be out in a minute!" Punk yelled annoyed

"I am so embarrassed" AJ giggled covering her face with her hands in shame

"Let's get dressed" Punk said sitting up and getting off the bed.

* * *

Punk and AJ walked down the stairs and found Paul in the living room watching TV.

"Sorry for intruding" Paul said with a nervous laugh "Like I said I wasn't expecting you Punk"

"What's going on Paul?" Punk asked as AJ took a seat as far away from Paul as possible

"I'm going to be in town for the night and I wanted to give AJ the heads up" Paul told him "But I just booked myself a hotel room so I'll be out of your way shortly"

"No!" AJ yelled "This is your home Paul you're not going anywhere"

"Yea don't be ridiculous" Punk said to his friend

"I really don't mind. I'm sure you two need the time" Paul said to them

"Like AJ said this your home" Punk told him "There's plenty of room for all of us"

"Great! I hate hotels I was just trying to polite" Paul grinned "So I'd ask how you guys are doing but I suppose I got my answer already."

"I'm going to go upstairs and finish unpacking" AJ said standing up "I'm sorry for uh- surprising you earlier"

"Don't ever apologize for that" Paul grinned causing Punk to roll his eyes and AJ to blush as she raced up the stairs "You are very lucky" He told Punk once AJ was gone "She has a fantastic ass"

"Really Paul?" Punk asked annoyed

"Sorry, sorry" Paul laughed "But really she's-"

"Enough Paul" Punk warned

"Ok" Paul said still laughing "Is there a reason you two can't have sex in your own homes though? Is it like a sexual risk thing? My house, Eve's house-"

"Paul!" Punk yelled not wanting to talk about it

"It had to be said" Paul said as his laughter started to die down "So seriously what's going on with you two?"

"The same thing that was going on a few days ago when you last asked me" Punk said to him

"Just make it official already" Paul groaned annoyed "This is very childish of you Punk and you are not a child"

"We need time" Punk defended "Besides I kind of freaked her out earlier"

"Not enough to scare her off obviously" Paul smirked but Punk didn't find that funny at all "Alright what happened" he said to him seriously

"We were at the airport and there was a fan he was talking to me and I blew him off then he recognized AJ and reached for her arm and I flipped out" Punk told him

"Flipped out so bad that I need to call you attorney?" Paul asked him seriously

"No" Punk said to him "I just kind of pushed him onto the ground"

"You need to think before you hit" Paul said in a parental voice "We've discussed this"

"She was just attacked less than a week away the last thing she needs is random men grabbing at her" Punk said defending himself

"That last thing she needs is another crazy boyfriend" Paul pointed out

"I just want her to be left alone" Punk told him "She should be able to walk around without fear"

"So you're going to beat up every guy that looks her way or reaches for her?" Paul questioned

"I'd like to" Punk admitted honestly "I guess I can't though"

"No you can't" Paul smiled

"Why are you smiling like that?" Punk asked

"You love her" Paul informed him "I don't think you've ever truly loved any woman you've been with before"

"Oh come on" Punk scuffed

"You're in love with her and you've been in love with her since the first time you spoke to her" Paul pointed out

"I am" Punk admitted "I'm scared"

"Of what? Love is wonderful!" Paul defended

"Says the divorced guy" Punk retorted

"Fair" Paul laughed slightly

"I don't want to scare her off" Punk admitted

"Trust me if you haven't scared her off already then she's the one" Paul told him "She has seen every side of you. The sweet side, the angry side, the cruel side, the jealous side, the protective side- you my friend have a lot of sides"

"I'm afraid of blowing it" Punk told him

"Then I suggest you tell her how you really feel" Paul told him "Or you will blow it" he then stood up

"Where are you going?" Punk asked

"My room and don't worry I'll turn my TV all the way up" he laughed

Punk headed back up the stairs and found AJ folding some of her things

"So how mortified should I be around Paul?" AJ asked him causing him to let out a small laugh

"Trust me you don't have to be embarrassed" Punk assured her as he leaned against the doorway "I want to take you out tonight"

"Really?" she asked with a smile

"Yea" he said to her "We've never gone out together and that has to change"

"Well we had dinner once" AJ pointed out "With Beth and Christian but still we were both there"

"Yea I'm not counting that" Punk smirked

"Ok is Paul joining us?" AJ asked

"Oh no" Punk said to her "Tonight is about you and me only. No Paul, no Christian- I want to get to know you"

"I'm looking forward to it" AJ told him trying to hide her excitement "Where are we going? What should I wear?"

"I'd prefer if you wore nothing" Punk told her in a serious voice "But I'd end up getting into a lot of fights so jeans and a t-shirt will do"

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived in the downtown area of Tampa. It was close to eight at night when they got of the car and headed into what looked to be a club.

"I never pictured you for being the 'club' type of guy" AJ said as Punk reached for her hand and took it into his own

"Who me? I love drinking and dancing" Punk teased "But this club isn't the type of club you think it is" he said as they entered the large bar that had a huge stage setup.

"Punk!" a voice cheered and a man walked over covered in tattoos and piercings "I wasn't expecting you tonight"

"I was in town and thought I'd swing by" Punk said to him shaking his hand "Jared this AJ my girlfriend" he said introducing the two and AJ was caught slightly off guard by the comment but shook the mans hand "Jared is the drummer in one of my favorite bands"

"Yea, yea" Jared snorted "It's nice to meet you AJ"

"You too" she smiled

"If you want to get backstage let me know" he said to him and Punk nodded "And enjoy the show"

"We will" Punk told him as his friend walked away

"Girlfriend huh?" AJ questioned

"We can dance around it all we want for another few weeks" Punk told her "But let's be real here. We're together and we've been together for a long time. Unless you don't want to be" she responded but kissing him and when she pulled away she grinned

"I agree" she said happily "And thank you for taking me here" she said as they grabbed two seats at the bar "I've never been to a concert"

"What?" Punk asked with a laugh "You're kidding me"

"No" she admitted

"This isn't even a real concert" Punk pointed out "It's just a small show"

"Well I'm excited" AJ said to him

"Seriously though? With all the money Christian had he couldn't afford to take you to a concert?" Punk asked

"Nope" AJ said to him "He took me to operas" she shrugged as Punk scrunched up his face "Not really my thing. Most of our dates I had to be dressed to the nines and fall in heels"

"No more talking about him" Punk said to her "This is about us"

"You're right" she agreed "So tell me about the band"

"Jared used to play locally in Chicago and the band still isn't that big but they travel a bit" Punk told her "I've known him since I was fifteen. The music is pretty loud but I think you'll like it"

"I have no doubt" AJ said to him.

After over an hour playing AJ headed to the bathroom leaving Punk in the rapidly filling club. He had decided it was enough of this and was starting to get recognized by fans he pulled out his wallet and threw a couple of twenties on the counter to pay for their sodas and nachos. He glanced over and caught someone eyeing him but he couldn't be sure he knew him exactly. He didn't appear to be a fan and Punk was about ready to make his way over to him when AJ walked back over.

"Are you ready?" Punk asked her and she nodded

"Are you sure you want to go? Your friend is still playing" AJ said as he grabbed her hand

"It's fine, it's getting too crowded in here anyway" he said looking over and noticing the man that was watching him was gone.

"Are you ok?" she asked with a frown sensing he was bothered by something

"Yea" he said leading her out of the club.

"So is our date night over?" She asked leaning into him as they walked

"I was thinking we could grab some food" Punk suggested as they headed towards his car

"I'm not that hungry" AJ said to him

"How about ice-cream?" Punk asked

"Desert before dinner?" AJ questioned "That's the best"

"I think we already had desert earlier today" Punk teased

"I'd like more" AJ teased "Let's skip the ice-cream and go back home" she suggested

"With Paul there?" Punk asked

"Didn't stop you earlier" She reminded him

"I was already in the moment" Punk defended "If we didn't-"

"Ms. Mendez" a voice said from behind them and AJ stopped first to turn and face the man. It was Jack, Christian's right hand man. Punk recognized him as the man who was eyeing him earlier in the club.

"Jack" AJ said slowly

"That's Jack?" Punk asked pointing at him as he let go of AJ's hand and started to walk towards him

"Don't" she said holding onto his arm "He' s up to something" she whispered into his ear

"I come in peace" Jack informed them

"I doubt that" Punk muttered trying to remain calm

"Mr. Scott would like to see you" Jack told AJ

"Mr. Scott can go straight to hell" Punk told him coldly

"Don't involve yourself anymore than you already have" Jack told him coolly "Don't you think you've caused Ms. Mendez enough pain?"

"Don't you dare" AJ warned pointing at Jack "You are a monster, you're just as bad as Christian is."

"Mr. Scott feels this entire situation has gotten out of hand and wants to see you alone" Jack told her

"Mr. Scott is never going to see me again" AJ told him slowly "If he comes near me again I will kill him" she threatened "And believe me with the way he's looking in the papers I'll receive a gold medal for ridding the world of him" Punk stood close to AJ as she defended herself against Jack. He was very proud of her and wanted to smile but he didn't want Jack to see it.

"Don't be so dramatic Ms. Mendez" Jack scolded lightly

"I'm not being dramatic" AJ said to him "Stop following me around! I am so sick of it!"

"I have a job Ms. Mendez and you are my job" Jack told her

"I'm not your job or Christian's business" AJ told him "If you keep this up I am going to call back one of the many news reporters who are begging for an exclusive interview with me" she informed him inching closer "And I am going to tell them what a sick and sadistic man your boss truly is. He'll never recover from it and you know I know I a lot" she threatened

"Let's go AJ" Punk said "You made your point"

"Mr. Scott doesn't respond well to threats" Jack reminded her

"And I don't respond well to be being beaten and humiliated" AJ said harshly "Maybe it's time I turn the tables"

"Calm down Ms. Mendez" Jack warned "Maybe you and your friend can take another dip in the pool…." He trailed off and Punk was ready to respond AJ's fist went flying right into the bottom of his nose. It was a move she learned from Rener and Ever and executed it perfectly. Punk's mouth opened in shock when she nailed him perfectly causing his nose to pour blood.

"Have fun trying to follow me now" she spat before turning back to Punk

"Finished?" Punk asked still in shock

"Yup" she said happily as she walked over to the car and Punk followed her "See? I can take care of myself"

"I can't believe I ever doubted you" Punk said seriously "Remind me to never- ever piss you off" he said as he started the car up and pulled away

"That felt really good" AJ told him happily

"Good" Punk smiled

"But I really need to be honest with you and hope it doesn't take away from the moment" AJ said as he glanced over to her

"Ok" he said unsurely

"I think I broke my hand" she said holding the hand she hit Jack with

* * *

Once they got back to Paul's Punk gave her an icepack for her hand.

"Are you sure it's not broken?" AJ asked as Punk examined it

"Nah" Punk said "You can bend it. It's probably just sprained. I'll wrap it up for you"

"Thanks" she said looking at her hand but Punk placed the icepack on over it again

"I'm really proud of you" Punk smiled at her

"And I'm proud of you" she shot back "You gave me the chance to stick up for myself"

"Well with a left hand like that I'm going to start letting you fight my battles" Punk said to her

"I would totally beat people up for you" AJ said to him

"Good to know" Punk laughed as Paul walked into the house

"You both are home early" Paul noted "What happened there?" he asked noticing AJ's hand

"I punched a guy in the face" she told him

"You two are truly meant to be" Paul said in a very serious voice "It's actually almost scary. Well you two enjoy the rest of your night" he said grabbing a few items "I have a hot date tonight and I won't be back so try not to get attacked, fight, start a fist fight or have sex in my kitchen" he told them

"We'll try" Punk mocked lightly

"So how bad did you hurt the guy?" Paul asked them with a grin before he walked back out

"She left his face a bloody mess" Punk told him proudly

"That's your girl" Paul laughed before walking out again

"That she is" Punk agreed looking down at her.


	19. Running Away

**Chapter 19: Running Away**

* * *

The next morning AJ and Punk were in a deep sleep. Neither Punk nor AJ had anything to do for the rest of the day and were looking forward to a nice easy day of sleeping in and lounging around but apparently Paul had other plans. At around ten in the morning AJ's bedroom door swung up violently hitting the wall behind it causing both Punk and AJ to wake up immediately.

"What the fuck Paul?" Punk asked annoyed

"You've got to see the TV right now" Paul said to him urgently

"Seriously?" Punk grunted "Get out!"

"No you really, _really_ have to see this" Paul told him in a serious voice

"Go" AJ encouraged as she laid back down. Punk looked over to her and wanted nothing more but to fall back asleep with her but Paul kept waving him to follow him.

"This better be good" Punk warned throwing the sheets off of himself and following Paul out of the room and down the stairs into the livingroom

"I paused it" Paul said to him as they walked over to the TV and hit the play button to start showing the news report that Paul had been watching

_'The body was found on the side of the highway and clearly whoever committed the crime wanted the body to be discovered. We don't have much information but officials are saying that woman was beaten to death and her body showed signs of torture. We do finally have a name of victim, Casey Blaine from Las Vegas…"_

"Holy shit" Punk muttered as he saw a photo of his 'Jamie' flash on the screen

"I'm sorry Phil" Paul said to him

"When did they find her?" Punk asked

"The report said early this morning" Paul informed him "They found her right outside of Nevada"

"It's my fault" Punk told him

"Oh don't be ridiculous" Paul said waving off his guilt

"I kicked her out and told her to leave" Punk said to him "I shouldn't have done that I knew how dangerous this guy could be-"

"You don't really think that Christian Scott did this?" Paul asked stunned

"You don't?" Punk asked

"You told me she was a druggie. She could have owed someone money" Paul pointed out

"She had money" Punk told him "I hate what she did to me but she didn't deserve that. I should have helped her out more"

"The fact that you didn't call the police helped her" Paul reminded him

"Or that could have saved her" Punk said back to him

"Don't think like that" Paul said to him "This isn't on you. She knew what she was doing when she got into business with him"

"Doesn't make it right and it doesn't change the fact that I could have prevented it" Punk argued back lightly

"Look I know you were with her for a little while and you have a right to grieve but if you really think this is Christian Scott than I suggest you put all your focus into that beautiful little woman upstairs sleeping" Paul told him "This just got very serious and the fact that Jamie or Casey was found so easily means they wanted her found"

"You think he's sending a message?" Punk asked him hoping that was not what he was implying

"If it is him which I still think is a long shot- yes" Paul told him bluntly. Before Punk could respond there was a harsh knock at the door.

"Tampa police department open up!" someone shouted from outside the door

"What the hell is this?" Paul asked annoyed swinging the door open to see two uniformed police officers "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"We're looking for…" the officer said looking down at his notepad "April Mendez" he said looking back at him

"Why?" Paul asked

"Is she in the home sir?" the officer asked annoyed

"I'm not sure" Paul lied as Punk walked over to him

"What is this?" Punk asked Paul then looked towards the cops

"We need to look around" the officer said stepping in

"Than I'm sure you have a warrant" Paul smirked but frowned when the officers handed him the warrant

"Paul what the hell is going on?" Punk demanded as the officers walked

"They have a warrant for AJ's arrest" Paul said looking over the warrant

"What?" Punk asked stunned as one of the officers headed upstairs and straight for AJ's room.

The officer opened the door and found AJ sleeping soundly in bed.

"Phil?" she asked hearing the footsteps and smiling with her eyes still closed

"April Mendez" the officer stated in a professional tone causing her to wake up quickly

"Yes" AJ said unsurely

"You're under arrest" he said reaching for his handcuffs

"Wait" Punk said entering the room

"Step aside sir" the officer ordered as AJ got out of the bed and the officer handcuffed her "April Mendez you're under arrest for assault you have the right to remain silent…."

"This is a misunderstanding I'm sure" AJ said as the officer slapped the cuffs on her

"It always is" the officer smirked behind her

"You can't just arrest her like this" Punk said standing the officers' way

"I assure you I can and if you don't move out of my way you'll be sitting in the squad car next to her" the officer threatened

"What is this even about?" Paul asked the other officer as the other officer led AJ down the stairs in cuffs and Punk trailing closely behind

"A man reported Ms. Mendez assaulted him last night outside of a club" the officer said to him

"She was defending herself!" Punk yelled

"Phil calm down" Paul warned

"No! This is bullshit!" Punk spat at him

"Calm down sir" the officer warned

"You need to take those cuffs off of her and listen to her side of the story" Punk told him in a low voice "You should be giving her a medal!"

"Ouch!" AJ yelled as the other officer tugged her arm a little too hard, which aggravated a previous injury.

"Jesus! She's hurt!" Punk yelled walking over to them "She's not resisting don't-"

"Stand back or I'll throw you in a cell too" the officer warned standing in front of him

"Phil calm down" Paul warned tugging Punk away "But she is hurt so please be gentle with her" Paul told the officers

"It didn't hold her back from hitting someone last night" one officer chimed in

"It's fine" AJ told them

"We'll meet you down at the police station" Paul told her

"Yea we'll ride behind you" Punk assured her "Don't worry about a thing"

* * *

Once AJ arrived at the police station she was bought in to an interrogation room.

"I can explain everything" AJ told them as they handcuffed her to the table "I really don't need these cuffs either, I'm not violent" she pleaded with the officers who ignored her then walked out of the room. "Are you kidding me!" she yelled "You can't just leave me here!"

"If you break the law April you better be prepared to do the time" Christian said casually entering the room

"Oh god" she muttered

"Relax" Christian said to her taking a seat at the edge of the table she was cuffed to "How are you feeling April? You didn't respond to my note"

"What are you doing Christian?" AJ asked with a frown

"Apparently this is the only way I can see you now" Christian frowned "You're lucky I just happen to be good friends with the police captain here"

"Very lucky" AJ muttered

"Don't worry April you're not going to be arrested" Christian assured her "Jack isn't going to press charges I just needed to see you. I've missed you so much" he said lightly brushing her cheek with his finger but she flinched away as far as she could go

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" AJ asked him sadly

"You're my life" Christian told her simply "I need to save you"

"Save me from what? Being happy?" she mocked

"You betrayed me April" He responded "You went to the police. Do you have any idea how hurt I was?"

"You beat me!" AJ shouted

"I never laid a hand on you!" Christian shouted back

"I'm sorry you're right you just watched" AJ remarked bitterly

"Do you understand the amount of power that I have now?" Christian asked her in a low tone "The police work for me not you" he reminded her "And you know this so why you had to humiliate me the way you did was just in vain"

"I'm not afraid of you" AJ told him as she stood up but her wrists were still attached to the table "I'm not the same little girl that I was when we first met. I'm a hell of a lot stronger"

"No April you aren't" Christian frowned "And you don't have to be strong I'll be strong for both of us"

"You hate the fact that I don't need you, you hate the fact that I can stand on my own two feet, you hate that I'm finally successful and it had nothing to do with you" AJ seethed not backing down "Press your charges see if I care"

"I'm sure Mr. McMahon won't be fond of that you could be fired" Christian told her smoothly

"It would be worth it" AJ smirked. Christian grabbed her face roughly forcing her to look him in the eyes

"This is over April. You won't walk away from this unscathed so I hope your nights with that tattooed up thug have been worth it because when I-" Christian couldn't finish his statement because AJ started to scream bloody murder causing officers to race inside. He smiled at AJ's distraction "Cute April" Christian smiled "We're done here officers. She can go now"

"Are you sure Mr. Scott?" the officer questioned

"Yes I'm sure!" Christian bellowed "April I'll see you soon and tell Mr. Brooks I'm sorry for his loss"

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked

"I heard about his lovely ex-girlfriend Jamie" Christian told her "It's a shame. But when you're young and beautiful you never know what could happen to you. I hope you have traveling buddies April"

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" AJ questioned as one officer un-cuffed her "Oh that's right you're chicken shit" she spat as she brushed past him and out of the office rubbing her now soar wrists but was jerked back when Christian grabbed her arm roughly

"Just remember you're mine April" Christian whispered into her ear "This isn't over"

AJ headed over to the waiting room to look for Punk but it wasn't hard to find him. Him and Paul were causing quit the scene with the officer at the front desk.

"Hey" she said walking over to them

"AJ" Punk said surprised "What happened?"

"I'll tell you about in the car" AJ told him "Can we leave now?"

"Are you ok?" Punk asked sensing she was worked up

"Yes" She promised "They're not pressing charges"

"So you told them what happened?" Punk asked

"Not exactly" AJ muttered "Let's just go" she said

"Come on Paul" Punk said waving for Paul

"You're very lucky" Paul spat at the young officer behind the desk who just rolled his eyes

* * *

Once the arrived back at Paul's place AJ started to explain how Christian was there and was the one that had her arrested.

"He has more power than I thought" Paul frowned "You don't even have the police on your side at least not here in Tampa"

"I can't believe he was in the same building as us!" Punk yelled he was very frustrated at how easy it was for him to get to AJ

"Did he threaten you AJ?" Paul asked

"Of course he did!" Punk yelled "That's all he's good for!"

"He told me he was sorry for your loss" AJ told Punk quietly "What happened to Jamie?"

"She was killed" Paul answered knowing that Punk was far to upset to even respond

"Oh my god" AJ muttered "I'm sorry Phil"

"You need to get out of Tampa" Paul told her "It's just not safe for you here" Punk was still trying to digest all of this.

"I'll be fine" AJ told him

"No" Punk said to her in a firm voice "He's right. You're packing up and coming to Chicago with me"

"Phil-" AJ started

"It's not up for discussion!" Punk yelled back at her "Pack your stuff or we'll leave without it. It's up to you!"

"Let's just calm down" Paul said to them

"I'm not gong to calm down!" Punk screamed "This lunatic isn't going to stop! Pack your stuff now!" he yelled towards AJ who still wasn't moving from her spot

"I think we're over reacting a bit" AJ said to him and even Paul had to roll his eyes

"Are you insane?" Punk mocked getting in her face "He killed Jamie!"

"You don't know that" AJ reminded him

"AJ I'm trying here I really am" Punk said in a very shaky voice "But you're not helping. Get upstairs and pack…_now_" he demanded

"He's right AJ" Paul agreed, AJ just turned around and stormed up the stairs "You've got to try to take it easy with her" he instructed Punk "She's just as scared as you are"

"She doesn't seem it" Punk mocked

"She's had a rough go as of late" Paul defended

"And I haven't?" Punk questioned "I did it her way and now we're doing it my way"

"Ok but all I was saying-" Paul started but Punk caught him off

"-I'm not discussing this further Paul!" Punk yelled at him "I'm going to pack my stuff and finish packing AJ up we're leaving as soon as were done"

"Ok" Paul said quietly as Punk brushed past him and headed up the stairs

* * *

AJ was inside her room with her suitcase on the bed as she threw some clothes into it.

"You're going to need more than that" Punk instructed as he grabbed his own bag

"How long will I be in Chicago?" AJ asked

"I don't know" Punk admitted "For as long as it takes"

"Ok" she replied quietly

"I didn't mean to scare you" Punk promised "But I'm scared" he admitted to her causing her to frown "I'm scared for you"

"I know" She whispered kissing his lips lightly "I'm scared for you too. Maybe you should go to Chicago and I can-"

"We're sticking together" Punk said cutting her off

"Good" AJ said with a faint smile

"We'll get through this" Punk assured her "But we've got to do it my way for right now"

"Alright" she agreed reluctantly "I just don't want you in anymore trouble because of me"

"I love trouble" Punk reminded her seriously causing her to smile softly

"I am sorry about Jamie" AJ said to him "I know she was important to you"

"I feel really bad about what happened to her but I'm not thinking about her right now" Punk told her honestly

"Do you think he killed her?" AJ asked him

"I don't think it was random" Punk countered with a shrug "She was a liar and I was pissed at her but she didn't deserve to be tortured and killed and you don't deserve to live in fear or under the watchful eye of some psychopath"

"He's untouchable" AJ told him "Today proves that. What are we going to do?" she asked as it all started to hit her and she began to cry "I didn't let him scare me at the police station but I really am scared. I don't want to die-"

"Hey, hey" he said cupping her cheek "You're not going to die"

"You don't know that" She sniffled "He could have killed me in that room or last week-"

"But he didn't" Punk reminded her "And he's not going to. He's never going to get those opportunities again I promise you"

"He knows where you live" AJ reminded him "He knows if we go to Chicago that's where we'll be"

"Like I said we'll be on my home turf" Punk said to her "He won't be able to get to you"

"I love you" was AJ's surprising response to him and it completely caught him off guard "I just wanted you to know in case"

"In case of what?" Punk asked her seriously

"Come on" AJ said to him "Let's not be naïve here"

"I know how you feel about me AJ" Punk said to her, she wasn't expecting him to say it back but she did want him to know

"I just want to let you know that I appreciate everything you've been doing for me and for what it's worth I really do love you" AJ said offering her heart on a silver platter for him

"It's worth more than you even know" Punk told her seriously "I-" before he could finish Paul walked into the guestroom

"Sorry" Paul said to him "I was hoping to catch a glimpse of AJ naked again" he said to them causing her to giggle but Punk wasn't amused at all. He ruined a great moment and was now talking about his girlfriend being naked

"What is it Paul?" Punk asked extremely annoyed

"I just wanted to let you know I've booked you both first class tickets back to Chicago" Paul told them "Your fight is at 3 so get a move on it"

"Thanks Paul" Punk said to him sincerely

"Don't worry about it" Paul said to him "Just stay safe"


	20. Olive Branch

**Chapter 20: Olive Branch**

* * *

Punk was sitting on the couch watching a hockey game in the comfort of his own home. This was exactly what he needed to get his mind off everything going on with AJ, Christian and even Jamie. Of course he was still bothered by everything happening but this was a nice little escape.

"This place is seriously amazing" AJ beamed walking down the steps causing Punk to turn his head and see his girlfriend marveling at his home.

"I thought you were napping" Punk noted as AJ walked over to him

"I did and your bed is the most comfortable bed I have ever laid in" she admitted "And you seriously own every single comic"

"Not every single comic just the good ones" he smirked as she straddled him happily

"I'm seriously in love with your home" AJ told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck "I might not ever leave"

"Good. I was worried about how I was going to get you to stay, I didn't realize I could just lure you with comics" Punk smirked

"And you have your own gym!" she said to him "There's no reason for me to ever leave"

"No there's not" Punk agreed "Comics, DVD's, a gym, food and me- what else could you possibly want?"

"Well" she teased giving it some thought "I could think of something I really want…and I'm all awake now"

"You want me to tire you out?" Punk questioned seriously

"Maybe" She smirked leaning in to kiss him. Both could feel the electricity between their lips as soon their tongues started to duel and Punk moved aside while AJ kissed his neck.

"Come on" he whispered looking at the TV. AJ pulled away confused and turned her head to see he was completely involved with the game on TV

"Seriously?" she asked with a laugh "I'm on top of you and you're watching hockey"

"No, no I was talking to you" Punk said keeping his eyes locked on the TV

"You're a liar" AJ said narrowing her eyes "What do I have to do to get your full attention?"

"You have it…." Punk trailed off as he moved his head to the side to get a better view of the TV. AJ lifted her shirt over her head leaving her in her bra "Babe it's right at the end" he said to her causing her to roll her eyes and she reached behind her to unclasp her bra and tossed it on the floor "…ok" he said pulling her down for another searing kiss as she began to move her hips against his. She opened her eyes during the kiss and saw that Punk's eyes were open as well…watching the TV

"Phil!" she scolded pulling away

"Sorry" he mumbled "They're down by one and-" Punk stopped as soon as AJ's hand grabbed his member through his shorts "Ok" he nodded now fully giving into her and reached for the remote and turned the TV off

"Oh so now I have your attention" AJ whispered against his ear

"You didn't give me much of a choice" Punk admitted with a groan then felt her hand move away

"I was just teasing you can go back to your game" AJ said with a smirk

"Oh no you don't" He warned grabbing her hand but only this time he guided it under the waistband of his shorts. He used his hands and cupped her perfectly sized breasts "You are so perfect" he whispered as he was lost in her touch

"You're not so bad yourself" she grinned and that's when he removed his hand from her right breast and replaced it with his mouth

"Phil" she whispered trying to concentrate on pleasing him but getting lost in Punk's touch. His right hand remained on her other breast while his mouth worked on the other and his free hand reached behind her and slid under jeans and reached for her perfect ass (as Paul would like to call it). "We should go upstairs" she mustered out

"No I don't want to move" He said pulling away briefly then moved on to her other her breast.

"Oh shit!" A voice yelled startling both of them. AJ looked horrified to see Colt and Cliff walk into the house. She quickly pulled her hand away from Punk and hugged his body as close as possible so Colt and Cliff couldn't see her completely bare chest but she was sure they already did.

"Oh fuck" Punk muttered "What are you doing?" he asked knowing who it was but not able to turn around. Only AJ was facing them

"You said AJ was here and Cliff wanted to meet her" Colt told him nervously.

"Hi I'm Cliff" Cliff smiled walking over and extending his hand to AJ seemingly unbothered by what he just walked in. AJ was far to mortified to even respond to him

"Trust me you don't want to shake her hand" Punk warned knowing where AJ's hand just was.

"Oh" Cliff said with a grin pulling his hand away "You must be AJ-"

"Get the fuck out" Punk warned them

"Oh come on" Cliff laughed "I've seen naked women before" he said winking at AJ

"Don't make me get up and hurt you" Punk warned

"I'd love it if you got up right now" Cliff challenged knowing Punk was the only thing keeping him from seeing AJ again

"Let's give them a minute to collect themselves" Colt suggested with a laugh

"Oh here" Cliff said reaching down and picking up AJ's bra and handing it to her

"Are you kidding me?" Punk asked trying to look at Cliff but he was still pinned against AJ

"Thanks" She muttered as her face turned even redder

"We'll be in the kitchen- take your time and don't worry we won't listen" Cliff laughed as they walked out of the living room and down the hall to the kitchen

"Oh my god" AJ said still frozen "That was more embarrassing than Paul"

"Because Paul didn't stay and hang out" Punk groaned "I'm sorry they're idiots" he told her as she placed her bra back on and clasped it behind her and finally got off of Punk and reached for her shirt

"Oh" she frowned looking down towards his large bulge in his shorts "Sorry" she said seriously

"You'll make it up to me later" Punk told her seriously "Do you think you could entertain them while I calm down a bit?"

"You want me to entertain them?" AJ asked with a laugh "They just saw my boobs!"

"Just give me five minutes" Punk said to her

"Ok…" she said unsurely then headed into the kitchen

"There she is!" Cliff smiled

"Hi sorry about that" AJ said nervously as she walked over to the sink and washed her hands

"Oh no we're sorry we should have rang the bell but we usually just let ourselves in. Punk doesn't usually entertain his girlfriends at home…or on his couch for that matter" Colt told her

"Where did Punk go?" Cliff asked her

"He's just getting himself situated" AJ told them still blushing

"He's going to kill us" Colt told Cliff who nodded

"It's fine" AJ told them. She could feel how awkward it was in the kitchen and wanted to just run away

"Seriously AJ it's fine" Colt said to her "I didn't see a thing"

"I did" Cliff told her bluntly "And I am insanely jealous of Punk"

"I'll make sure to tell him that" AJ said with a small laugh

"I'll tell him myself" Cliff said brushing it off "So tell me all about yourself" he said happily

"I-" AJ started but Punk entering the kitchen saved her

"Look who it is" Punk said to them "Two of the biggest cock-blockers I have ever met in my life"

"Hey buddy" Cliff grinned "I was just getting to know AJ I feel I should at least since we just practically made it to second base on our first meeting" he told him seriously

"I am going to hurt you" Punk warned taking a step towards his friend

"He's kidding" Colt laughed nervously

"What are you two doing here?" Punk asked annoyed

"We wanted to check in on you" Cliff said in a more serious voice "We heard about Jamie or Casey I think it was…"

"I'm good" Punk told them

"We also wanted to let you know we've got your back" Colt said to him "Both of your backs" he said looking towards AJ who smiled at Punk's loyal friend

"And I've got your front" Cliff said in the same serious voice to AJ causing Punk to glare at him "Kidding" he defended quickly "Not about that having your back part though because we totally do"

"I appreciate it" AJ said to him "And so does Punk"

"I'd appreciate it more if you didn't just walk into my house like you owned it" Punk said to them

"Why did you give me a key than?" Cliff asked

"I didn't give you a key I gave Colt a key" Punk shot at him

"He won't give it back" Colt told him a laugh

"So did you catch the end of the game?" Colt asked trying to ease the tension "Hawks lost"

"Are you shitting me?" Punk asked in disbelief and Cliff started to laugh "Something you want to share with rest of us Cliffy?"

"It's just that you and the Hawks both couldn't score tonight" Cliff choked out then started laughing hysterically. Punk chewed on his bottom lip while AJ covered her mouth from laughter.

* * *

Later that night Cliff and AJ were playing Punk's Xbox while Punk chatted with Colt across the room.

"So seriously man how bad is this?" Colt asked him

"AJ got arrested this morning in Tampa" Punk told him "She hit one of Christian's guards the other night and they bought her in for what I thought was questioning"

"Why else would they have bought her into the station?" Colt asked confused

"Christian was there and that was the only way he could be alone with her" Punk said to him

"Holy crap" Colt muttered "The cops were ok with this?"

"The cops were in on it" Punk told him in a disgusted tone

"She looks good though" Colt told him earning a glare from Punk "I mean I thought she'd look all cut up and stuff. The way you described her attack was brutal"

"Yea she's healed pretty well. She still has some marks but I'm hoping she'll get on TV next week" Punk told him as he watched as Cliff inched closer to AJ on the couch "Cliff!" Punk yelled from the across

"Right! Sorry man!" Cliff said moving back to the other end of the couch

"Idiot" Punk muttered

"She seems great" Colt told him "I didn't get a chance to really get to know her the last time she was in town but I can see why you like her so much"

"I love her" Punk corrected

"What?" Colt asked with a grin

"There's no denying it" Punk said simply as he watched her laugh at Cliff as she destroyed him in the game "I'm addicted to her"

"Good for you" Colt told him genuinely "I can't remember the last time you told me you loved a woman you were with even though this Jamie thing-"

"Do you think I'm a bad guy?" Punk asked Colt honestly "I was with Jamie two weeks ago and now I'm with AJ. I mean she's dead for christ sake"

"You're not a bad guy" Colt told him seriously "You were never into Jamie you just wanted to use her to forget AJ. Did you ever invite her back to your place?"

"Just the bedroom" Punk admitted "I thought for a brief time Jamie was going to be apart of my life forever. I feel guilty for loving AJ while Jamie is being autopsied"

"Her name wasn't even Jamie" Colt reminded him "Your entire relationship was a lie. You didn't even know her. Be happy with AJ because that's what you wanted all along. For a change you did nothing wrong"

"Gee thanks" Punk muttered as he watched Cliff pull AJ into an unsuspecting hug "Cliff! What did I say about touching?"

"I forgot!" Cliff yelled back pulling away from AJ who was laughing

"He likes her" Colt grinned

"I can tell" Punk said to him shaking his head annoyed "Back to back days we got walked in on" he said to him

"Someone walked in on you yesterday? Please tell me it was the police" Colt laughed

"Actually it was Paul" Punk said to him

"Two of the biggest perverts I have ever met in my life got glimpses of your girl" Colt said still laughing "You've got some bad luck"

"I'll seal the deal" Punk shot at him "As a matter of fact get out now and take your horny friend with you"

"Fine, fine" Colt laughed "Come on Cliff we're going" he yelled over to him

"No AJ and I were just getting started" Cliff said in a sad voice pausing the game

"Well Punk would like to finish with AJ so let's go" Colt said earning a punch in the arm from Punk

"I don't blame him" Cliff grunted standing up

"No touching" Punk warned as he could tell Cliff was reaching to hug AJ

"But what if I don't get to see her for a while?" Cliff teased with a frown

"Get out of my house" Punk said to him as he walked over to him and AJ

"Fine, fine. AJ I hope to see you again" Cliff said with a wave

"Out!" Punk yelled as he walked both Colt and Cliff out of the house.

"They're really great" AJ said as Punk walked back over to her

"Yea great" Punk said as stalked over to her and tossed her over his shoulder

"What are you doing?" she asked dangling off of his shoulder

"We're going up to my room" Punk said walking up the steps with her "Were there's a lock on my door"

* * *

In the middle of the night Punk woke up slowly and looked down and saw AJ sleeping against his chest she had a faint smile on her face. He brushed her hair out of her face so he could watch her better. Her naked body was pressed against his. He kissed the top of her head lightly feeling at peace at least in his personal life. Even though it was a wild crazy ride he was thrilled to be here in this moment with her and he decided it was worth it all. Crazy Christian, his beating, Jamie- everything that had happened had led him to this very moment and he was going to embrace it as much as he can while he could.

"Don't you ever sleep?" AJ questioned against his chest causing him to smile

"No" he told her as he threaded his fingers through her hair "I love you too" he told her

"What?" she asked picking her up to look at him in the eye

"You told me you loved me and Paul interrupted me before I got the chance to tell you" Punk said to her

"You don't have to say it just because I did" AJ told him sweetly

"I don't say anything I don't mean" Punk reminded her

"So all those mean things you said to me when you were mad at me you meant?" she teased causing him to narrow his eyes at her

"Don't kill the moment" Punk warned

"I'm sorry" she smirked "I just don't want you to feel you have to say you love me. It's ok if you don't"

"AJ I have never loved anyone the way I love you" he admitted honestly "All I want to do is be with you" he told her "I want to take you to hockey games, I want to hang out all day in read comics, I want you to beat me at every videogame, I want to work with you, I want to protect you" he told her

"Christian always told me how much he loves me" AJ said softy while Punk listened intently "I never believed it. I wanted to believe it but I knew it wasn't true. When Jay said it to me I knew he meant it but I didn't love him back at least not the way that I should have. It feels so good to love someone who loves me the same way. I never thought I'd have that"

"I know you haven't had it easy" Punk said to her "I know it's not easy to let someone in but I won't take it for granted" he promised

"I trust you" she told him honestly leaning in to kiss him. When she pulled away slightly he ran his thumb lightly over her sweet lips and she caught the end of his thumb with her teeth and lightly bit down

"Tell me again" she requested sensually

"I love you" he told her without hesitation "Any other requests?" he teased

"Yes" she said "Make love to me" she said grabbing his face and pulling him into a kiss

"Again?" he laughed

"Yes again" she said as he rolled her on top of her "and again and again and again" she laughed as he kissed her again

"Don't tempt me" He whispered huskily against her ear "I'm addicted to you" he freely admitted without shame

"There's worse vices" She smiled as he maneuvered himself in-between her legs

"That's true" he agreed as he his hand moved to her core "You're already ready for me" he noted happily as he felt how moist she already was

"Yes I'm always ready for you" she told him in a whisper as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and moved her lower half against his

"You are so impatient" Punk grinned as he kissed down her neck

"You know this about me already" AJ warned pushing him onto his back

"You are freakishly strong" Punk said with a worried face

"And don't ever forget it" AJ grinned as she raised her hips and lowered herself onto him

"Oh damn" Punk moaned throwing his head back as his hands moved to her hips to help guide her. AJ ran her hands over his chest while she lifted herself up and then lowered herself back down. "You're going to have to slow down" he warned feeling himself reaching his peak

"I don't want to" she mustered out but he sat up with her still inside and pulled her body closer so they were chest to chest. AJ cradled his head in her arms while he buried his head into her cleavage. She continued to roll her hips while he left sweet bites across her chest.

"I love being inside you" he whispered into her hair once he moved his face back up towards hers

"Oh god Phil" she replied running her hands over his head "Please" she pleaded lightly and he rolled them back over so he was on top of her. Punk felt her ankles lock around his waist and he started to move at a much quicker pace. "That's so good!" she yelled out

"Is it?" he couldn't help but tease

"I'm so close" she said using her hands to clutch the bed sheets.

"I know baby" he whispered against her ear while his other hand moved in-between their bodies and found her small bundle that he started to tease relentlessly. A few moments later AJ's body tightened around Punk's, which caused his release as well.

"Oh god" she muttered as he collapsed on top of her "Is it always going to be this good?"

"With me? Hell yea" he said in a serious voice causing her to giggle

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up and found Punk sitting at his kitchen counter sipping on coffee reading the paper.

"Damn" Punk said dropping his paper noticing AJ enter the kitchen in only one of his t-shirts.

"Relax I've got underwear on" she teased grabbing a mug from the top shelf and Punk tilted his head admiring her from her behind

"I can see that" Punk grinned taking another sip of his coffee

"Don't be a pervert" AJ smirked pouring herself a cup.

"How did you sleep?" Punk asked

"Better than you" AJ said to him "Did you even sleep?"

"A little" Punk shrugged "I don't really sleep"

"You must be tired" AJ noted

"Nope" Punk said to her simply

"So what's on the agenda for today?" AJ questioned "Are you going to show me around this city or what?"

"Any requests?" Punk asked her

"Not really but last time you told me you would take me to some comic book shops" AJ said to him

"That I can do" Punk nodded "And maybe I'll even spring for some authentic Chicago pizza"

"I don't know" AJ said seriously "I grew up in Jersey and we used to go to New York for pizza"

"Don't you dare" Punk warned

"Even the crappiest pizza places in New York are ten times better than other pizza places" she told him seriously

"I am going to take you to the best pizza place on this planet" Punk promised her "You'll forget all about New York pizza"

"Doubt it" AJ mocked lightly. They chatted a bit about some other things they would be doing today when someone knocked on Punk's back door, which was located in the kitchen. "Were you expecting Colt again?"

"No" Punk said unsurely

"Chicago PD" the voice yelled from the other side

"You have got to be shitting me" Punk groaned

"I didn't hit anyone I swear" AJ said to him seriously as he walked over to the door. He sucked in a breath and couldn't believe this was happening again to him in less than a 24 hour time period.

"Mr. Brooks?" The young Detective with slicked back hair asked flashing his badge to Punk

"Who wants to know?" Punk asked

"I'm Detective Drew Keith. I just have a few questions for you about Casey Blaine" the detective told him "Can we come in?"

"If you must" Punk mumbled stepping aside letting the officer in

"Hello" the Detective smiled over to AJ as he glanced down and noticed she wasn't wearing any pants

"AJ" Punk said nodding towards her legs

"Excuse me" she said nervously before racing out of the kitchen

"I didn't mean to interrupt" the officer told him with a laugh

"Yea you and everyone else" Punk mumbled "Look I really didn't know Casey well as a matter of fact she told me her name was Jamie"

"Yea we know" the Detective frowned "We've been trying to figure out why she was living a double life"

"I'm sure you wouldn't believe me even if I told you" Punk said to him

"You were the last person to see Ms. Blaine alive" The detective informed him "What happened? Did she catch you with another woman?"

"No. I found out she was lying to me" Punk told him bitterly

"About her identity?" The Detective questioned

"Among other things" Punk said folding his arms

"So you were angry with her?" he asked causing Punk to let out a laugh

"I didn't touch her" Punk defended

"We know. You were out of state when the crime was committed we're just trying to figure out who hated this young woman so badly they tortured her the way they did" the detective said to him

"Look into Christian Scott" Punk told him

"Why?" he asked

"He hired her to date me" Punk told him honestly "Told her to tell me she was pregnant as well"

"Christian Scott this business mogul?" the Detective questioned innocently

"You know what? I'm done talking to you about this" Punk said to him annoyed "I didn't even know the woman I couldn't tell you anything about her. She left my hotel room around one in the morning and I told her to leave town that was the last I saw or heard from her"

"I'm just trying to help" The Detective defended lightly

"I don't really trust cops" Punk shot at him

"I've heard that before" he smirked towards Punk

"Yea well I don't trust that you're not on that lunatics payroll" Punk shot at him "If you have any more questions for me you can talk to my lawyer"

"Wait" the Detective said to him "I want to help you and April"

"How do you know her?" Punk asked now growing more concerned as to this Detective's intentions

"I don't know her" the Detective said quickly "But I saw her picture in the paper. I know what happened to her and I know it was because of Christian Scott and I also know that Casey Blaine's death is connected to his as well. I want to help"

"Why?" Punk asked

"Because it's my job" the Detective replied to him "Let me talk to her"

"My job is to protect her" Punk informed the detective "And the last time cops spoke to her in Tampa they locked her in a room with him so please forgive me for not jumping up and accepting your help"

"I've been following Christian Scott for four years" Detective Keith admitted "I want him bought down as much as you do"

"I doubt that" Punk shot at him

"I passed an unmarked vehicle down the street. How much do you want to bet that Christian has guys sitting on your place just waiting for the opportunity to get in here and get to her?" Detective Keith asked him seriously "That's also the reason I used your backdoor. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt because of him. I'm offering you an olive branch" he said placing his card on the counter

"You can take your olive branch and shove it" Punk shot at him "Don't come back here again and don't even think about approaching AJ"

"You can't protect her from him" Detective Keith told him placing a photo on the counter of a young woman with long dark hair, oddly similar to AJ "Her name was Angelica Roe. She was twenty-three when she started to date Christian Scott and when she was twenty-seven I found her body in warehouse in Chicago, a warehouse he owned. She was beaten to death a lot like Ms. Blaine was and if you don't accept my help the next body I find is going to be Ms. Mendez's" Punk glanced down at the picture of the young beautiful woman "You have no idea what you're up against and I'm sure in a fair fight you or even April could take him down but he doesn't fight fair as you have learned"

"Why wasn't he arrested for her murder?" Punk questioned

"Because Christian Scott isn't a hands on type of guy as I'm sure you have learned" The Detective told him "One of his lower level guys confessed to the crime and he paid a lot of money to keep it out of the press. Of course a few years ago it was easy to keep things quiet but not with today's technology"

"I don't know you" Punk told him bluntly "I already don't like you and I certainly don't trust you and I want you out of my house"

"Think about it" the Detective said placing his card on Punk's counter and taking the other photo away then walked out the door.

"Everything ok?" AJ asked walking into the question fully dressed now

"Yea" Punk said to her "He just had some questions about Jamie" he said brushing it off

"Oh" she said with a frown "That was fast"

"Yea I mean what could I really tell him?" Punk smirked "So I was thinking we could stay in today" he said surprising her, they had just made plans to explore Chicago today but he was now a little nervous with the idea of an unmarked car parked on his block.

"Sure" She said simply "But why the sudden change of heart?"

"I just remembered I haven't used my hot tub at all this year" Punk pointed out with a smile wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her close to him "I also need help organizing my comics which I have to do before I could even consider shopping for new ones. You want to help?"

"I suppose" she smirked still not buying his excuse

"And after all that I'll order us some authentic Chicago pizza and we can eat it by the fire which I also haven't used ever" Punk said to her

"You've never used your fireplace!" she marveled "You are so spoiled!"

"No I'm busy" Punk corrected "And after we eat, clean, soak in the hot tub and lay by the fire I'm going to have my way with you" he promised "All night long" he said kissing her cheek

"Staying in is a really good idea" AJ agreed

"Ok" he said pulling away and eyeing her from head to toe "Now go upstairs and take your pants off. I like you better wandering around here in just my shirt"

"No way! We have a bad habit of getting interrupted" AJ laughed

"True" Punk agreed kissing her lips sweetly

"I'm going to go take a quick shower and then I'll be all yours for the day" she promised pulling away from him and leaving the kitchen. He walked over to the counter and grabbed the Detective's card and placed it into his pocket for safekeeping.

* * *

**A/N: Is the Detective Keith a good guy or one of Christian's guys? Hmm...**


	21. Unwanted Attention

**Chapter 21: Unwanted Attention**

* * *

The next morning Punk woke up and rolled over to find AJ gone. He lifted his head and glanced around the room and saw it was empty. He reached over for a pair of boxers and slipped them on before heading out of his room and down the stairs. He heard AJ laughing inside his kitchen and quickly headed in. He was annoyed to find Cliff sitting at his kitchen table with AJ eating a bagel.

"Sleeping beauty is finally up!" Cliff cheered "In all of the years I've known you I've never seen you sleep past eleven"

"It's that late?" Punk asked looking over to clock hanging in hit kitchen

"Someone must have tired you out" Cliff snorted

"You have no idea" Punk replied smugly walking over to where AJ was sitting and leaned down to kiss her quickly before taking a seat next to her

"Morning" she smiled "Cliff bought breakfast"

"Only onion is left" Cliff frowned referring to the bagels he bought over

"I hate onion" Punk spat annoyed

"I know but I bought a raisin bagel for AJ and a plain for myself and we both ate already because we were up at a reasonable hour" Cliff mocked

"How did you know raisin was my favorite?" AJ asked with a laugh as Punk rolled his eyes

"You mentioned it briefly" Cliff said waving it off.

"Why do you always hit on my girlfriends?" Punk asked him annoyed

"I'm just trying to be friendly!" Cliff defended with a laugh

"Don't listen to him you're really sweet. Never change" AJ said happily

"Don't encourage it" Punk said to AJ and that's when he noticed she was in workout clothes "Did you use the gym?" he questioned

"No I was thinking of going for a run" AJ told him "I was actually halfway out the door when Cliff showed up"

"You were just going to go for a run in a strange City without me?" Punk asked surprised

"I only wanted to go around the block" AJ told him "But Cliff has completely distracted me" she told him and Punk nodded and glanced over to Cliff who mouthed 'you're welcome' to him when AJ wasn't looking "Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure" Punk agreed reluctantly

"What about you Cliff?" AJ asked

"I'm more of a gym guy, I hate running" Cliff admitted standing up "It was lovely eating with you" he told her kissing AJ on the cheek

"I'll walk you out" Punk said following Cliff to the door "You hate plain bagels and love raisin" he pointed out to Cliff "And Colt loves onion bagels"

"I went to pick up bagels and thought I'd swing by and apologize to your lovely girlfriend about walking in on her the other day and I saw she was ready to take off so I distracted her with food- my food!" Cliff pointed out

"I appreciate it" Punk said to him

"Yea I didn't think you'd like the idea of her running around by herself" Cliff said to him "Colt told me how you think someone is watching your place"

"Did you see anything by any chance?" Punk asked

"Nah" Cliff said to him "This entire area is crowded it's hard to tell which people are hired assassins"

"They're not assassins" Punk groaned

"Be careful" Cliff said in a serious voice, a voice he didn't use too often.

"Thanks" Punk said as Cliff walked out the door.

* * *

Punk and AJ headed out on a run together and Punk was surprised by how fast AJ was. Punk couldn't help but keep glancing behind his back to make sure no one was following and for a few blocks he noticed one runner in particular made every turn they made.

"AJ wait!" Punk shouted causing her to stop and turn around to look at him

"What's the matter old timer?" AJ teased "Having trouble keeping up?"

"That guy" Punk said nodding behind as the man he felt was following them stopped as well a few feet back and started to drink his water "I think he's following us. Do you recognize him?"

"No" AJ told him looking at the man "I know Christian's men and he is not one of them"

"Maybe he hired someone new" Punk suggested

"It's not that easy" AJ smirked "It's not like he places adds in the paper for stalkers" she laughed

"He's made every move we made" Punk said to her

"There's a lot of people out here running" AJ pointed out "Let's just head back to the house" she said grabbing his hand

"Good idea" Punk agreed and decided to cross the street and when he looked back over the same man also crossed the street. He let go of AJ's hand and darted towards the man.

"Phil!" AJ yelled but it was pointless he was already in the man's face

"What are you doing!" Punk shouted shoving the man who stumbled

"I'm just running-" The man said nervously

"You're making every move I make!" he yelled "If you're going to follow us around try hiding out better!"

"You're insane" the man laughed

"You think this is funny?" Punk seethed grabbing the man by his collar

"Phil stop!" AJ pleaded racing towards him

"Some one call the police!" the man yelled

"Great more of your friends" Punk said to him causing the man to look at him like he was crazy

"Break it up" someone said pulling Punk off of the guy.

"You a cop?" the man Punk attacked asked "I want his ass arrested!"

"I'll take it from here get lost" Detective Keith told him

"You're seriously crazy" the man spat before walking away

"You can't just jump people like that" Drew told Punk

"Are you following me too?" Punk demanded of the young detective

"Phil what is going on?" AJ asked "Aren't you the cop from yesterday?"

"I wasn't following you" Drew told him "I was following her" he said gesturing towards AJ who seemed more confused then before

"Wrong answer" Punk said taking a step towards the Detective but AJ jumped in front of him

"Let's just all calm down" AJ said placing her hands on Punk's chest

"What did I tell you yesterday?" Punk shouted towards the cop

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" Drew mocked "I'm not going to let Christian hurt her!"'

"I'm watching her back! I don't need you!" Punk yelled

"Stop it ok!" AJ yelled "Can someone tell me what's going on here?"

"I'll tell you back at the house" Punk said to her

"Or we can all go back to the house and talk about it- together" Drew said shooting a glare towards AJ

"Not happening. And now I trust you even less then yesterday" Punk shot at him "Stay out of my way and don't follow her she already has enough people following her around"

"If it wasn't for me right now you'd be arrested" Drew pointed out "You'd be locked up and AJ would have been left alone by herself in a strange city while Christian's guys are a block over laying in wait"

"What is he talking about Phil?" AJ questioned looking towards Punk

"That guy doesn't work for Christian" Drew informed him "He was a curious fan"

"I'm done talking to you" Punk spat at him then grabbed AJ's hand and led her away from the Detective

* * *

"Are you going to talk to me or what?" AJ asked as Punk closed the door behind them

"That guy isn't really investigating Jamie's death" Punk told her "Apparently he's been investigating Christian and has been for years"

"Why didn't you tell me?" AJ asked him

"Because I don't believe him" Punk told her honestly "I didn't believe him yesterday and I don't believe him today"

"He did save you from that guy calling the police" AJ pointed out

"I don't trust him AJ" Punk told her bluntly "Anyone with any mild relation to him is my enemy"

"But it sounds like he's on our side" AJ pointed out

"No he isn't" Punk informed "I don't trust that Christian isn't paying him off to get eyes inside of my house"

"Not everyone works for Christian" AJ reminded him

"Well until I know for sure steer clear of him" Punk warned "I mean it AJ I don't care what he says or how genuine he sounds to you"

"If you don't trust him than I don't either" she told him simply "I'll follow your lead"

"Thank you for siding with me" Punk said to her "It makes things easier"

"I'll always side with you" AJ told him with a faint smile walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist "I know you're looking out for me" he leaned down and kissed her sweetly when she pulled away slowly "I really have to shower" she said to him "I'll be done in half an hour then we can have a walking dead marathon" she turned and headed up the stairs.

Once she stripped her clothes off she turned the water in and stepped into Punk's spacious shower. She let the hot water run down her face and as she used her hands to push her hair out of her way she felt arms wrap around her waist.

"I needed to shower too" Punk whispered into her ear "Save on that water bill"

"Yea because clearly you can't afford your water bill going up" AJ teased "What a terrible excuse" she smirked as he rested his head on her shoulder and kissed behind her ear

"I need an excuse to want to be with you?" Punk questioned

"No not at all" AJ assured him "Thank you for looking out for me today"

"I told you I always will" Punk reminded her "Speaking of telling you things, have I told you today that I loved you?"

"Today? No" AJ smirked

"Well I love you" he told her simply as he kissed down her neck from behind

"You don't have to tell me" AJ whispered "You show me everyday"

* * *

Punk and AJ spent the night on his couch watching the Walking Dean. AJ wasn't into the show that much, she enjoyed the comics much more. At around midnight she noticed Punk was fast asleep but she was wide-awake. She carefully untangled herself from him and headed into his kitchen and cleaned from the dinner she cooked. He loved the tacos she made but she did make a huge mess. He told her he'd help her in the morning but he had already done enough. As she quickly raced around the kitchen cleaning things she pulled out his garbage bag and tied it up before heading outside in the alley by his house to dump it.

"Ms. Mendez" a voice startled her causing her to turn her head and see Jack. "It's a little late to be hanging out in alleyways don't you think?"

"Get out of here" AJ said quickly then dumped the garbage bag and walked to Punk's backdoor but it was locked "Stupid" she muttered to herself

"Why are you prolonging this?" Jack asked "You know him just as well I do and you know you're just delaying the inevitable"

"How's your nose?" AJ shot at him as she played with the door handle

"I actually thought it was broken" Jack grinned "But luckily for me you're not as strong as you appear"

"I'm going to scream" AJ warned as she started knocking on the door but she knew Punk wouldn't hear it from way inside and he was still sleeping.

"You've angered him" Jack said casually walking towards her "He doesn't sleep anymore, he barely shows up to work. He's a shell of the man he used to be"

"Wow I didn't realize he could be less of men than he already was" AJ mocked

"You used to hang on every word he said and now you've morphed into this hateful little bitch" Jack told her

"He used to treat me good" AJ reminded him

"And he still wants to" Jack said to her

"You can go back and tell your boss that I am never going back to him" AJ said in a cold voice "It was one thing when he put his hands on me and tried to control my career but threatening Phil and having him jumped was crossing the line"

"Oh you know the lines he will cross and he hasn't even begun" Jack warned inching closer to her "I've been trying to hold him back but he's losing patience" the next thing they both heard was a sound of a cocking gun.

"Step away from the girl" the voice said holding the gun at Jack

"Interesting" Jack smirked at AJ then turned to face Drew Keith "Detective" Jack smiled backing away form AJ

"Back away or I'll shoot you" Drew warned

"Phil!" AJ screamed now banging on the door

"Relax I was just saying hello" Jack laughed backing away with his hands up "Mr. Scott is going to be thrilled to see you're still around"

"Phil!" AJ yelled again slamming her hand against the door. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in-between these two

"Where's your white knight now?" Jack teased towards AJ

"Don't talk to her- shut your mouth" Drew warned not lowering his gun

"Are you even allowed to still have a gun?" Jack mocked "Fired police officers usually give those back along with their badge"

"You're not a cop?" AJ asked stunned

"I can explain" Drew said to her with his gun still trained on Jack

"Phil!" she screamed again and suddenly the back door swung open.

"AJ-" Punk started but she pushed him inside and locked the door behind her

"What were you doing outside?" Punk asked

"Get away from the door he has a gun" AJ said pushing him further into the kitchen but he grabbed her arms

"Calm down" Punk said slowly "Who has a gun?"

"That Detective!" AJ yelled

"He's outside?" Punk asked starting to walk towards the door

"No Phil" she said grabbing his arm "You're not bulletproof. I went outside to take out the garbage and Jack was there then that cop showed up with a gun and tried to shoo Jack away and Jack said he's not even a cop!"

"What?" Punk asked trying to follow the story

"Let's go into the living room and stay away from windows" AJ said to him

"Ok you go inside and I'll go check out what's going on outside" Punk said walking to the door

"No Phil" she pleaded gripping his arm "He has a gun"

"He's not going to shoot me" Punk smirked

"You told me you didn't trust him and now we have more reason to not trust him" AJ said to him

"Just let me take a peek. I'll be fine" Punk assured her as he walked towards the backdoor and once he opened the door he found no one outside "There's no one here"

"I'm telling you they were both here" AJ said to him seriously

"I believe you. I just don't know where they could have gone" Punk said stepping further outside to look but there was no one around.

"You're right. They're probably working together" AJ said to him as Punk closed the door and locked it

"Did Jack say anything to you?" Punk asked

"His usual crap" AJ said brushing it off "But that cop- or whoever he is seemed off"

"What do you mean?" Punk asked

"He just seemed kind of unhinged" AJ said to him unsurely "I don't even know how to describe it"

"So not only are Christian's guys camped outside of my house but so is some wacko who thinks he's a cop" Punk mocked

"We should leave" AJ said to him

"And go where?" Punk asked

"I don't know- Mexico? Canada?" she suggested seriously causing him to laugh

"We're safe inside AJ" Punk promised her

"But I want to be outside" AJ told him sadly "All I did was take out the garbage and I was in the middle of an old western shoot out"

"We're going to be on the road tomorrow" Punk reminded her "And after that we'll talk about what to do, but right now the safest place for you is here with me"

"I know" she said softly looking down at her hands

"Are you ok?" Punk asked

"I'm just-" AJ started then shook her head "I'm fine" she promised "I'm just really tired"

"So go upstairs and get some sleep I'll be up soon" Punk told her and she nodded walking away from him and out of the kitchen. Punk reached into his pocket and pulled out that Detective's card before dialing a different number.

"Hey it's me I need you to look into this name for me" Punk said into the phone "…yea I know but this guy said he's a cop….Drew Keith…yea he's been sniffing around AJ but something is off about him…thanks let me know" he said before hanging up

* * *

The next day Punk and AJ arrived to Raw hand in hand. She was quiet since the previous night and he tried everything to cheer up her mood but it didn't work. Thankfully everything went smoothly at the airport and he didn't have the urge to attack random fans. They entered his locker room and AJ watched as Punk began his stretching exercises.

"You'll be on TV soon" Punk assured her from the floor as he reached for his legs "Don't be down about it"

"It's just the longer it takes for me to get on TV the longer Christian thinks he's winning" AJ told him

"He's not winning" Punk told her "You're going to be on TV and you're going to be in that ring kicking all kinds of ass before you know it"

"I'm just tired of all of this. Two weeks ago I thought I'd be on TV and now I think everyone sees me as too much of a reliability" AJ frowned

"That's not the case" Punk told her seriously

"Your home is crawling with a bunch of weirdo's, I still don't have my own home and barely work anymore" AJ said to him "It's like I took two steps forward and ten more back"

"AJ-" Punk started

"-I just need some time" she said before rushing out of his locker room.

AJ raced down the hall and collided right into someone sending her crashing to the floor.

"I'm so sorry" John Cena frowned reaching down to help her up

"No it was me, sorry" she said trying to brush past him but he grabbed her arm gently

"What's wrong April?" John frowned

"Everything" she admitted as she started to cry and he pulled her against his chest

"Anything I can do?" John asked holding her

"No" she sobbed out "I'm sorry I just needed to let this out"

"It's ok" John smiled against her "How about we grab a cup of coffee and talk about it?" he asked and she slowly pulled away

"No I'm good" AJ said to him "But thanks"

"AJ if this is about your TV spot it's still yours" John assured her "It's just with everything that happened Vince wants to make sure you're ready"

"I was born ready" AJ said to him "But it's not about that, I really can't get into it right now. Sorry for knocking into you" and with that she walked away

"John Cena the hero" Punk smirked appearing from behind the corner of the hallway

"You should go to talk to her" John said to him "She seems really upset"

"Gee thanks detective" Punk mocked "Why don't you go grab her some coffee and talk to her about it"

"Oh come on" John laughed "I was trying to be nice"

"You have time for coffee now John boy?" Punk mocked "Because last time I checked you didn't have time for your now ex-wife. That's why she's the ex isn't it?"

"Don't push me Punk" John warned "I'm assuming you're the reason she's this upset"

"You would love that wouldn't you?" Punk laughed "So you can ride in on your horse and rescue her from big bad CM Punk"

"It's not like that" John said to him seriously "She's hurt and needs help"

"I'm helping her" Punk said angrily

"Great job so far" John replied sarcastically

"Back off" Punk shot at him

"I'm not trying anything with your- is she even your girlfriend? Because a week ago you were down her throat" John shot right back at him

"Why? You want to move in?" Punk smirked

"I wouldn't do that" John told him "I have a girlfriend"

"You also had a wife when you had a girlfriend" Punk laughed

"I'm not a saint Punk" John agreed "But I'm also not a hypocrite. You were fooling around with AJ while you were with your last girlfriend and I would bet my jet that you were with her while you were Beth as well and while she was with Christian. Maybe that's why he's so pissed off" John suggested "Jealousy is ugly and maybe Christian didn't like the idea of his girlfriend sleeping with another guy"

"Maybe" Punk agreed "So you're saying she deserves everything that has happened to her?"

"Don't put words in my mouth" John warned

"That was what you were implying" Punk said to him "She deserved to be tied up and beaten because she made a mistake. Hey if that's the way this works and you were physically tortured for every time you cheated you'd probably be a dead man"

"You don't know anything about my private my life" John said annoyed "Just because you're having issues with your girlfriend doesn't mean you get a free pass to take it out on me"

"Gentlemen" Vince smiled walking towards them "I was just looking for you"

"I'll see you around Johnny boy" Punk smirked before turning around

"You too Punk" Vince said to him causing him to turn around "We've decided you two are going to be headlining SummerSlam this year" he beamed

"Great" Punk smirked

"And we've decided to work AJ into the angle" Vince said to them happily surprising both of them "Don't act like you're surprised" he warned both of them "Both of you told me you wanted to work with her"

"You requested to work with AJ?" Punk asked John who just rolled his eyes

"I said I wouldn't mind working with her" John said to him as Punk just rolled his eyes

"AJ is Punk's girlfriend she'll be in the middle" Vince told them

"I think John would rather AJ be his girlfriend" Punk mocked with a grin

"Oh cut the shit" John said annoyed

"We'll go over details later but for tonight we thought it would be cool to have AJ in the front row and we'll acknowledge she's your girlfriend" Vince said to Punk "Where is AJ? I wanted to be the first to tell her"

"Yea Punk where is AJ?" John smirked folding his arms

"I don't know John why don't you tell me?" Punk questioned in the same tone

"Enough you two" Vince warned "When you see AJ have her stop in creative so we can set her up for the main-event tonight"

"Sure thing" Punk said to him as Vince walked away

* * *

AJ was back in Punk's locker room by the time he arrived.

"I've been looking everywhere for you" Punk groaned closing the door behind him

"I'm sorry I just wanted to clear my head" AJ said to him

"Did you clear it?" he asked with her a smirk

"Yea" she smiled softly

"They want you on TV tonight" Punk told her

"What?" AJ asked stunned

"It's not much but they want you in audience for the show tonight and they'll point you out as my girlfriend" Punk told her "As time goes on you'll get more and more involved probably working heel with me and Paul"

"Seriously?" AJ smiled happily

"Yea" He laughed as she launched herself at him wrapping her arms and legs around him

"Did you do this?" she asked pulling her head away slightly so she could look him in the eyes

"No AJ you did this" Punk told her honestly "You don't need your boyfriend to pull strings for you. You're good and they want you on TV. Vince came to me about it half an hour ago. I know it's not much and not exactly what you wanted but it's something"

"It's amazing" AJ said happily "And I love that I'm going to work with you" she said untangling herself from him

"And John" Punk remarked

"Oh stop" AJ smirked "He was trying to be nice"

"Did he go running to you?" Punk asked her

"No I saw you when he hugged me" AJ smiled "You're the worst stalker ever"

"I suppose so" Punk smirked

"You're the only man in my life" AJ assured him pulling his face down to hers and kissing him then pulled away "Do you need more proof than that?"

"Yes I do actually" he said in a serious voice as his fingers moved to her cardigan she was wearing over her cute dress and started to unbutton it

"Phil we're at work" AJ said horrified

"So? We've done it work" Punk pointed out as he fully removed it and it fell to the floor

"I should be getting ready" AJ said to him as he tugged her closer to him

"The show doesn't start for hours" Punk reminded her "And I could really use your help stretching me out…." He said as his hand moved lower and reached under her dress and lightly brushed her thighs

"Phil…" she said to him but made no effort to stop him

"April…" he teased mocking her tone of voice

"It's a bad idea" she whispered as Punk's hand slid under her dress

"I love being bad" Punk smiled against her lips before moving her panties to the side

"What if someone hears us?" she asked in a strained voice while two of his long fingers entered her slowly

"They'll hear you" Punk smirked kissing her cheek "I'm quiet"

"Oh please" she said to him

"Oh please you want more? Or were you mocking me?" Punk asked as he lowered his head to kiss her pulse point, lightly biting over it then smoothing the wound with his tongue

"Hey guys I just heard-" Paul Heyman said walking right into the locker room causing Punk to pull away from her quickly "Twice in two weeks" he laughed "I would say this is awkward but let's be honest this has become very familiar"

"Paul" Punk groaned annoyed while AJ smoothed out her dress

"I can come back later" Paul offered

"No we're good" AJ assured him as Punk stepped behind Paul to reach for his phone

"I heard you're going on TV tonight" Paul beamed pulling AJ into a hug. "Congratulations kiddo" he said to her happily. AJ looked over Paul's shoulder and saw Punk place the two fingers that were just inside of her a few moments ago into his mouth and suck them clean causing her to groan slightly

"Are you ok?" Paul asked pulling away and Punk snickered behind him

"Yea…yea I'm good" She said a little flustered

"Good we don't want you getting sick on your big night" Paul smiled "I spoke to creative and I think we came up with something great"

"Let's hear it" Punk said to him taking a seat on the couch while he played with his phone

"So I was thinking tonight during your match with John you both could move it to the outside and over to where AJ is sitting. John goes to hit you- takes AJ out inside" Paul suggested

"I really don't think having AJ hit by a guy on TV is the best way to start this off" Punk said to him subtly

"It's a great idea" AJ said to him

"I knew she would agree" Paul smiled "You'll start making things personal with him becoming one of the biggest in history, AJ and I will be at your side. It's going to be epic and hopefully lead to a Wrestlemania match"

* * *

Christian was sitting in his office watching Monday Night Raw. He had heard April would be featured tonight and he didn't want to miss it. He watched as the camera zoomed on her in the audience and showed AJ sitting in the front row clapping as Punk entered the ring.

_'Well that very beautiful young woman is CM Punk's girlfriend' Michael Cole announced 'She's too good for him' Jerry 'The King' Lawler said disgusted 'You don't even know her King!' Cole laughed 'A dog is too good for CM punk!' The King argued 'What's wrong with you King?' JBL asked 'CM Punk is our champion! Anyone would be lucky to have him!' 'CM Pun is a jerk! All he does is run around demanding respect with his sidekick Paul Heyman!' Jerry argued 'Paul Heyman isn't just a sidekick…' JBL started_

"Can you believe that?" Christian asked Jack with a laugh "She's putting herself on national TV as his girlfriend too"

"Very disrespectful sir" Jack agreed

"People are laughing at me" Christian said to him "If I can't even keep my girlfriend check imagine what all my investors are saying about me. Look at her face" he said gesturing to the TV as they flashed to AJ again "Not even a mark on it. Pete lost his touch"

"I felt you went far to easy on her" Jack told him and Christian nodded in agreement

"Well we can't turn back time unfortunately" Christian said to him sipping on a drink

"So what do you want to do about it?" Jack asked

"I didn't want to go this far" Christian admitted not taking his eyes off of the TV "But I need her alone again"

"He is literally glued to her" Jack told him "The only time I had her alone Drew showed up and screwed it all up for me"

"That's been our mistake" Christian said to him "Trying to get her away from him"

"What do you mean?" Jack questioned

"If he wants to be with her so badly then he can watch" Christian told him simply as he watched Punk blow a kiss to AJ

"Watch what?" Jack asked

"Watch me teach April she can't just walk away from me. She can't cheat on me, she can't leave me and she can't betray me" Christian said watching as Punk and John fought right in front of AJ outside the ring "I might just have to get my hands dirty"

"That's asking for trouble sir. Let me handle this" Jack pleaded lightly. Christian frowned when he saw John accidentally hit AJ.

"No its time I take care of this" Christian said to him "When will they be back in Chicago?"

"They have flights booked for Wednesday morning" Jack told him and Christian nodded

"Have the jet ready for Tuesday evening. I want to be there before they get home."

* * *

Backstage Punk arrived to AJ who was chatting with Eve.

"Hey" He smiled "You did great" he said kissing her cheek

"I didn't do much" AJ smiled

"You sold that hit like a champ" Punk corrected "I thought he really decked you."

"Is that why you really ran your knee into my head?" John asked walking over to them

"Did I?" Punk questioned innocently

"Seriously are you ok?" John asked

"Yes! I'm fine" She laughed "This has been the best night of my life"

"Ok" John laughed "But I thought I really clipped your chin" he frowned looking at her face closely to see if he left a mark

"You didn't" she promised "Out of all the men to hit me these last few weeks you were the most delicate"

"That's oddly comforting" John said nervously laughing

"Punk" Paul said walking over to him with his phone in hand "Cabana is on the phone he wants to talk to you he said it's important" Punk stepped away with Paul's phone

"What's up?" Punk asked

"So my cousin checked into that cop you asked" Colt started off "He was a cop and he was working on building a case against Christian Scott but he was fired right before the case closed"

"He has a badge" Punk said to him "Can't he get into trouble for this?"

"It's probably fake. My cousin said he's been working as a PI the last few years" Colt told him "He says this guy defiantly isn't working for Christian Scott though"

"How can he be so sure?" Punk asked

"Christian is the one that had him fired and the guy has like zero income" Colt told him "Christian's guys make good money"

"I still don't trust him" Punk told him

"And you shouldn't" Colt said seriously "He's posing as a cop. He told me to tell you to call him if he comes by your place again"

"Great" Punk snorted "Well does your cop cousin have any tips on how to get Christian's guys away from AJ?"

"He said you can't even mention Christian's name at the police station" Colt sighed "I'm sorry man but he said he'll do all he can to help even if it means sleeping outside your place in his squad car"

"Thanks but the last thing I need is more men sleeping outside my place" Punk said to him "Tell him thanks I appreciate him looking into this for me"

"No problem, stay safe man" Colt told him then hung up

"Hey are you ready to go?" AJ asked skipping over to him

"I need to shower first then we can go" Punk told her

"Can we shower together at the hotel?" she asked hopefully "I want to finish what we started behind locked closed doors" she said kissing his cheek quickly causing him to smile as he watched her skip towards the locker room.


	22. Torture Chamber

**Chapter 22: Torture Chamber**

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived back in Chicago on Wednesday night. She filmed a segment for SmackDown that would show her backstage with Punk. She was excited that her foot was finally through the door and there was even talk of getting AJ into the ring shortly.

"….I'm telling you Batman would destroy Wolverine" AJ laughed as they entered his home

"Hey I'm the biggest Batman fan around but he's no match for Wolverine" Punk argued closing the door behind him

"Let's end this debate now" AJ said to him "We're home now and I can't take arguing with anymore" she giggled

"Right you just know you'd lose" Punk laughed tossing his bag by the door

"It's late and all I want to do is take a nice long bath and curl into bed with you" AJ said to him happily "We've had such a peaceful couple of days and I don't want to blow it over your poor judgment in superheroes" She said seriously causing him to let out a laugh

"Ok" Punk smiled kissing the top of her head "Go upstairs take a bath I'll get us some food"

"I was hoping you'd join me" she said to him kissing his him quickly on his jaw line

"You really insatiable" Punk laughed "But food first"

"Fine" AJ groaned pulling away "No pizza! It sucks out here" she warned as she walked to the steps

"Now I'm defiantly ordering pizza" Punk said seriously

"You're really going to starve me?" AJ teased as she walked up the stairs "That's called torture" she reminded him with a laugh.

She walked into her bedroom still laughing and headed into the master bath suit where she started to fill up the tub. She kicked off her shoes and removed her top. She stepped back into the bedroom in just her jeans and black bra and checked her phone quickly before heading back into the bathroom and turning the water off. She kneeled down to test the water and without warning her head was dunked into the tub and held under the water. She started to violently move her legs and arms causing water to splash all around and after thirty of the scariest seconds of her life she felt her someone pull her hair roughly causing her head to jerk up. She coughed loudly and tried to catch her breath at the same time. Before she even had a chance to say anything else her head was dunked back into the water…..

* * *

Punk headed into the kitchen to look for a menu to order from and when he turned on the light he noticed three people standing in his kitchen casually. All dressed in suits and he recognized one of them…Jack.

"Hello Mr. Brooks" Jack smiled

"What the hell is this?" Punk asked them

"Mr. Scott's patience has run up. Sorry" Jack frowned

"Well why doesn't Mr. Scott tell me that himself instead of sending the poor man's rendition of the Soprano's crew to my house?" Punk mocked

"Mr. Scott is occupied" Jack informed him causing Punk to roll his eyes "With Ms. Mendez" Punk's face fell as he realized AJ was upstairs alone- with him. Punk turned and was ready to race up the stairs but a gun being pointed in his face halted his movements.

"Relax Mr. Brooks" Jack said to him as Punk remained frozen "Mr. Scott wouldn't dream of leaving you out of this" for the first time in his life Punk had no idea how he was going to talk himself out of this situation. He would be shot dead if he raced passed them to get to AJ and he'd be even more useless but he wasn't sure how'd he be able help at all.

"You don't have to part of this" Punk said to Jack

"Save it Mr. Brooks. You can talk until you're blue in the face but tonight is it. It ends" Jack told him coolly "Shall we join Mr. Scott and Ms. Mendez upstairs?" he asked Punk

* * *

After being dunked three more times the person let go of her hair causing her to hit the cold tile on the bathroom floor and cough up water.

"I'd tell you I'm sorry but we both know I wouldn't mean it" Christian told her bluntly causing her to lift her head slightly to look up at him

"You could have killed me" AJ choked out bitterly

"I know what I'm capable of April" Christian smiled "And so do you. If I wanted you dead you would have been"

"Don't hurt him" AJ pleaded lightly to Christian knowing Punk was downstairs "I'll leave with you right now just leave him alone" she knew Christian wasn't here alone

"That's very sweet" Christian smiled "And if you were to have told me that a few months ago I would have taken you up on it. But not anymore" that's when they both heard voices enter the bedroom "Come on April" he said lifting her up by her arm

"Phil" AJ said relieved to see him. He on the other hand was horrified by her appearance. Her hair was drenched, makeup running down her face and sporting only a tight pair of jeans and her bra. She used whatever energy she had to race over to him and throw her arms around him and against his better judgment he held her just as tight against his own body. Christian nodded towards his men to let them embrace.

"Go on now say goodbye" Christian said to them

"Leave him alone" AJ said still holding onto Punk but turning her head to look at Punk "I'll do whatever you want-"

"Don't baby" Punk whispered against her ear

"Oh April" Christian sighed sadly "It's not him we're here to hurt" and AJ could feel Punk's entire body tense and his grip got even stronger "At least not first" he told her in a serious voice

"He gets to watch" Jack told her

"Watch you guys beat me with a belt?" AJ mocked "I survived it the first time and I'll survive it again"

"No April" Christian said sadly "Tonight is your last night with Mr. Brooks and me"

"You won't hurt him?" AJ asked in a shaky voice "He won't say anything-"

"No" Punk said to her "Are you insane?"

"There's no reason for us both to die" AJ whispered to him

"I'm not going to let you die" Punk said firmly

"You're out numbered Mr. Brooks" Christian reminded him "Kiss her goodbye now" he instructed Punk "If you'd like to give her a little more feel free. I don't mind watching" he smirked causing Punk's skin crawl. Punk just wrapped his arm's even tighter against AJ and Christian nodded at one of the men and pulled AJ away from him.

"No!" Punk yelled reaching for her again but was held back by two men "Don't you touch her you son of a bitch!" Punk yelled

"April let's make this easy on him" Christian whispered into her ear "Do you know what it was like for me to watch you with her?" he asked Punk walking over to him "Watching you steal away her innocence and virtue in a pool like she was a cheap hooker?"

"Who told you to watch?" Punk mocked

"I'm always watching April" he said "It was torture Mr. Brooks. Seeing your disgusting hands on her made me sick to my stomach. It's probably how'd you feel if you had to watch her with another man" AJ swallowed a large lump knowing what was coming.

"No, no, no" Punk said trying to pull away but he now felt a gun digging into the side of his head

"April get on the bed" Christian instructed her but his back was to her, he kept his eyes locked on Punk the entire time. AJ hesitated but one of the guards turned grabbed a fistfull of her hair from behind causing her neck to be jerked all the way back.

"Do what he says you dirty whore" the guard whispered into her ear

"Don't fuc-" Punk didn't even get to finish his statment becaue one of the guards slapped him in the face mid-sentence

AJ carefully sat on the bed and held back tears while she did so. She tried to look towards Punk but his eyes were locked on Christians.

"You're going to rape her big man?" Punk mocked "Will that make you feel better? You are a sick psychotic-"

"I'm not going to touch April" Christian told him surprising both him and AJ "She doesn't deserve me" he glanced behind to the man with AJ "Go ahead " he said with a nod of his head "Lee's always had a thing for April anyway. I caught him with your pool photos one night and he was...well I'm sure I don't have to spell it out for you" he smirked at Punk "I hope you enjoy watching this Punk" he said as the man named Lee kicked off his shoes and started to undue his belt

"I will kill you" Punk promised "If it is the last thing I ever do-"

"You're not in control here" Christian reminded him "I am. I always am" Punk's response was to spit in his face and still tried to jerk away but a kick to the back of his leg caused him to fall to his knees while still be restrained "You'll have a better view at this level anyway"

"Hi April" the man grinned "You're so pretty and wet" he said with a grin as he lowered his pants

"I think I'm going to be sick" AJ said covering her mouth with her hand

"Lay back April" Christian instructed

"AJ run" Punk said to her

"April there is nowhere for you to run" Christian reminded here

"I really don't feel well" she said but Lee removed her hand from her mouth

"Don't be nervous April" Lee said to her as he ran his hand up and down her torso

"Jesus Christ!" Punk shouted "Are you all really going to let this happen!" he yelled

"They don't work for you Mr. Brooks they work for me" Christian reminded him as he turned his attention to the bed. AJ slapped his hands away and Lee frowned

"Am I going to have to tie you up?" Lee questioned "Do you have any wire or rope in here?" Lee asked glancing towards Punk

"Fuck you" Punk spat

"April please stop being difficult" Christian said with a sigh

"I'm going to throw up" AJ warned Lee who was no leaning over and leaned down to kiss her mouth. Punk closed his eyes tightly

"Open your eyes!" Christian warned slapping him across the face. If looks could kill Christian would have been dead and buried.

"You're right sir, she does taste sweet" Lee smirked looking over to his boss while he climbed ontop of her and stradled her lower half and moving his hips against hers which were frozen

"I told you" Christian grinned "Right Phil?" he asked with a laugh "Tell Lee all he has to look forward to"

"Stop please" she asked the man gently "You don't have to do this you can be better than this"

"I really just want to get laid" Lee informed her coldly as he leaned down to kiss her again while his hand quickly reached under jeans and underwear causing her bite down on his lip as hard as possible and he jerked his hand away "You bitch!" he screamed hitting her hard across the face. Punk had seen more than enough and powered away from the men holding him, unafraid of being shot in the process. Punk tackled the man on AJ right onto the floor

"You're ruining everything Mr. Brooks!" Christian yelled "Someone shoot him" he said as Drew Keith entered the bedroom with a gun "Never mind shoot him instead!" Christian pointed

"In this hand I have my gun" Drew pointed out "And in this one I have 911 on speaker and I called them about four minutes ago" faintly you could hear police sirens in the background of the Chicago night "How much do you want to bet they're coming here looking for you specifically?"

"We'll kill you all right now" Christian told him

"Yea sure leave a mess and take the chance of not getting away but if you were smart you'd run out right now and not look back. Also I have a gun and there's a chance I get a few shots in first" Drew told them "They're getting very close" he said as the sirens got louder

"Let's go" Jack said pulling on Christian's arm

"We didn't-" Christian

"Sir we have to leave right now!" Jack yelled forcefully grabbing Christian. Punk was still wailing on the man Lee who for all he knew was dead

"Stop!" Drew said tucking his gun away realizing they were gone but Punk was completely zoned out

"Phil" AJ sobbed and he immediately stopped and turned to her. She walked over to him but her knees gave out from fear and she hit the floor with her hand covering her mouth while she openly sobbed

"Baby it's ok" Punk said crawling over to her and pulling her into him "You're ok" he whispered against her hair while she cried loudly against him. Drew just watched from where he was and walked over to the man Punk had attacked. He leaned over and felt for a pulse.

"Thank god" Drew muttered

"He's dead?" Punk asked hopefully

"No he's alive" Drew shot at him "believe me you don't want to be charged with murder"

"It was self-defense" Punk spat loudly over AJ's cries

"I'm sure it was but you don't know how this all words" Drew told him that's when they heard a lot of footsteps in the hallway "Squat team is here" he smirked towards Punk

"AJ it's ok now" Punk said to her and reached over and grabbed a blanket to wrap her up in.

* * *

It was hours of police walking in and out of their place. There wasn't just local PD cops but the FBI was there as well. Drew had managed to get audio and video and there was no way out for Christian Scott this time. He was a wanted man and he was going to fry for everything.

"How is she doing?" Drew asked Punk as they both eyed AJ sitting on the couch talking to a police officer

"She'll be ok" Punk told him "She's a lot stronger than she looks"

"I can see that" Drew smiled

"How did you know?" Punk asked him

"I've been sitting on your place" Drew admitted "I knew you two were going to lead me right to Christian. He arrived in town last night and I had a feeling he'd be here. I saw a couple of his cars parked down the street so I came over to investigate. I didn't see anyone inside so I took a chance and broke your window" Drew admitted

"Why?" Punk asked "Not that I'm not grateful because believe me I am. We both could have ended up dead"

"The woman I showed you a picture of last week….Angelica Roe was my sister" Drew admitted "I know he killed her"

"I'm sorry" Punk said to him

"Me too" Drew said bitterly

"How much time do you think he's going to get for this?" Punk asked him

"None" Drew told him honestly "But you won't see him again. He's probably already on his way out of the country. They'll never catch him now"

"There's no way" Punk disagreed

"He's always prepared for situations like this" Drew told him

"If I see him again I'm going to kill him" Punk warned "He'll never get away with this"

"You almost killed one of his guys" Drew said to him and just the mention of the man caused Punk's entire face to turn beat red

"I should have fucking killed him" Punk seethed "The way he was touching her- he's lucky he got away easy"

"I wouldn't call him lucky" Drew smirked

"No you have to let me in!" a voice yelled from the doorway "AJ is my best friend!" the voice yelled "Hey Punk! Vouch for us!" Cliff shouted. Punk nodded towards the officers and they let Cliff and Colt in.

"Jesus every cop in the city is outside" Colt muttered walking over to Punk "Cliff and I-" he started looking for Cliff but he was already making his way over to AJ and pulling her into a hug "What the hell happened?"

"It's a long story" Punk groaned

* * *

It was hours later and almost morning. Colt and Cliff were both still at the house but both had fallen asleep on Punk's couch. AJ was laying in Punk's reclining chair in-between his legs. Neither them could sleep but both didn't speak either. Punk ran his hand through AJ's hair the entire night and she kept her arm wrapped around his.

"I think it's finally over" AJ whispered to him but he didn't respond. She reached down and grabbed his right hand and saw his knuckles were cut up still from earlier in the night when he beat down the man touching her. "Does it hurt?" she asked lightly brushing her fingers over it

"Not really" Punk told her honestly and felt her lift his hand and kiss his cut gently. He couldn't help but smile slightly at her. No matter how afraid or hurt or scared she was, she put him first.

"It looks like it hurts" AJ said to him keeping her eyes locked onto his fist

"I'm sure it hurt him a lot more" Punk said to her and the thought of him causing AJ to shiver

"It wasn't that bad" AJ said to him "And if this didn't happen last night he'd still be running around"

"They haven't found him yet" Punk pointed out

"He's out of the country and he won't come back" AJ told him "The police told me the minute he gets spotted he's going to jail for a long time. That guy Drew had a lot of his own evidence he shared with the police. He'll never be a free man again"

"Good" Punk said to her "But I'd rather see him tortured"

"Me too" AJ said to him "I want to be locked in a room with him for just five minutes. I'd hurt him real bad" she said it in such a threatening way that it came out cute and Punk lightly chuckled for the first time in hours "I'm freakishly strong" she reminded him

"I know and I have no doubt. I would just love to see it" Punk said to her "And you'd deserve to do it"

"I keep seeing him" AJ told him softly "Every time I close my eyes I see Christian standing over me in the bathroom and I feel Lee touching me" she said softly

"It's over now" he whispered kissing the top of her head lightly "You have a lot to look forward to now so let's move forward"

"Yea I mean this is going to completely overshadow my wrestling debut" AJ said to him "I'm sure this all over the media"

"I haven't even checked my phone" Punk admitted

"Me either" AJ said to him "I guess it will be nice to walk down the street without someone following me and hey maybe I can actually get my own place now"

"Don't" Punk said to her

"I can't live on the streets" she laughed lightly

"Live here" Punk suggested surprising her

"Are you serious?" she asked lifting her head for the first time in hours to look at him

"Yea" Punk said to her "I like having you here and I know you like it here."

"It's a little fast, no?" she questioned

"AJ nothing about relationship has ever been slow or normal for that matter" Punk reminded her "Stay here with me. I don't want you all the way in Tampa. Unless you really want to be on your own"

"I'd love to be here with you" AJ said to him "Are you really sure? You're not just still wound up from last night?"

"I want you here" he repeated seriously

"Ok then" she smiled at him "So we're going to be working together, living together, traveling together- that's a lot of us time" she warned

"We're going to fight sometimes" Punk pointed out "But we'll get over it"

"Promise you'll be patient with me?" AJ asked "I'm not perfect and I'm not the easiest person to be around"

"You are the easiest person I've ever been around" Punk assured her "You've made it all stop for me."

"You saved me last night" AJ said holding back tears

"Drew Keith saved us last night" Punk argued

"No you saved me" AJ corrected "You could have been shot and you saved me. I will never be able to thank you enough for that and I will never be able to make it up to you. Did you even realize how easy it would have been for them to shoot you?"

"Yes" Punk told her simply "But I couldn't let that happen to you" he told her narrowing his eyebrows at the memory

"You didn't know Drew was there" AJ reminded "You literally sacrificed yourself for me"

"I know I wouldn't have been able to do much but I'd rather die then have to watch them do that to you" Punk told her honestly "I was at peace with knowing I tried"

"Don't ever do something so stupid again" She warned him grabbing a hold of his chin so he was looking at her in the eyes

"You would have done the same for me" Punk said to her and she knew he was right "I love you so much" he admitted freely and a single tear escaped his eye "I've never been so scared in my entire life and I wasn't even scared for myself"

"I love you too" AJ said as she began to cry quietly as well

"Don't ever leave me" Punk said to her seriously as she brushed his tears away

"I won't" she promised giving him a sweet kiss and both tasted the salty tears against their lips.


	23. Confronting Our Nightmares

**Chapter 23: Confronting Our Nightmares**

* * *

The rest of the week things were fairly quiet. Punk was given off house shows and expected back on Monday. The media was having a field with this story and the WWE was doing their best to try to downplay it and make things easier for AJ and Punk. AJ was having a harder time dealing with the fallout then Punk had thought. She hadn't gone upstairs to sleep in the bedroom since that night and opted to sleep on the couch the entire week.

_"April" Christian smiled as AJ woke up on the large couch_

"_Oh my god" AJ muttered sitting up_

"_Shh" he whispered placing his finger against AJ's lips "I miss you April"_

"_Get out of here!" she yelled "Phil!" she screamed_

"_He's not here anymore April" Christian told her simply as he stood up from the couch and left AJ there_

"_What do you mean? What are you doing?" she asked_

"_Lee wanted to finish what he started" Christian told her as Lee suddenly appeared _

"_No, no" AJ said wanting to move but was frozen in place "Phil! Help me please!" _

"_You are so weak" Christian scuffed "Miss. Independent needs her boyfriend to run in and save her. He's not here April"_

"_Hi AJ" Lee smiled running his hand down her cheek _

"_Please don't hurt me" AJ pleaded as she began to cry_

"_It won't hurt" Lee whispered "Much…" he laughed _

"_Make it hurt Lee" Christian instructed _

"_Whatever you say boss" Lee agreed as he shoved AJ harshly onto the couch and pounced on top of her _

"_Help me!" she screamed _

"AJ!" Punk yelled shaking her awake causing her to sit up. She saw his worried face as he sat next to her at the edge of the couch "It was just a dream" he promised

"It felt so real" she admitted shaking her head in shame "Christian was here and he bought that sleazy guy Lee in and he pushed me down-"

"It was only a dream" he reminded her cupping her face so she was looking directly at him

"I'm sorry" she cried "I'm so sorry" he pulled her into a tight hug

"Don't be sorry" He said to her as he held her tightly "You're safe here"

"I know" she said to him as she held him just as tight "I just-" the doorbell rang causing her to jump slightly and Punk frowned at her as he pulled away "Don't answer it"

"It's ok" he assured her as he stood up and looked to see Paul Heyman standing outside. He opened the door and stepped aside to let his friend in.

"Hey guys" Paul said to them in a sympathetic voice

"Hi Paul" Punk said in a tired voice while AJ looked away from them and tried to wipe her eyes

"How are you two holding up?" Paul questioned

"We're fine" Punk told him

"I packed up the rest of the stuff AJ had at my place and bought it over. It's in the car" Paul told him

"Thanks Paul" AJ said forcing a smile but it was clear she hadn't been sleeping well and her eyes were so puffy that it looked as if she had been crying for days

"Sure thing kiddo" Paul said with a frown

"Excuse me a minute" she said quickly racing up the stairs

"So how is she really?" Paul asked Punk

"She's not sleeping, she's not eating and she's not talking about it" Punk told him bluntly

"It did sound pretty traumatizing" Paul said to him

"It was don't get me wrong" Punk started off "But the last time when she was beaten this didn't happen"

"She was alone then" Paul pointed out "But this time it wasn't just her life hanging in the balance"

"I just want to make her feel better" Punk said to him "Nothing I say or do cheers her up"

"Too bad you don't have a pool here" Paul teased lightly earning a glare from Punk "Sorry inappropriate joke" he said with a serious face

"She doesn't even want me to touch her" Punk admitted "She lets me hug her but that's it and she hasn't gone back into the bedroom"

"She was almost raped" Paul reminded him "In front of you"

"I know Paul I was there" Punk told him coldly "I've been trying to forget that"

"Well you can't just black it out" Paul told him "She can't so you have to get her to talk about it"

"She won't talk about it" Punk said to him "When she does fall asleep for about ten minutes she dreams about that night"

"Where is he now?" Paul asked

"Christian Scott? Probably some country without extradition" Punk remarked bitterly

"I meant the pig who tried to rape her" Paul said to him "I heard you beat him pretty badly. Is he still in the hospital?"

"I think so" Punk shrugged "Why?"

"Maybe you should take her to see him" Paul suggested

"Are you insane?" Punk asked with a laugh "I'm trying to get her to forget it all"

"She can't forget it and never will be able to. This will be burned into her brain for the rest of her life so encourage her to confront this situation head on" Paul insisted wisely "Let her see for herself that he's not getting out"

"Christian is still out there" Punk reminded him "How can I get her to stop living in fear when that lunatic is still lurking around somewhere"

"You said it yourself he's out of the country and he's not coming back anytime soon" Paul said to him "He's done if he shows up again and he's smart enough to know this"

"Christian Scott is a lot of things, smart isn't one word I would use to describe him" Punk retorted

"Help give her a little closure to this whole debacle" Paul encouraged

"I don't think they're going to let us just walk into his hospital room" Punk said to him

"Well they defiantly won't let you" Paul chuckled "I heard you almost killed the man"

"First of all he wasn't a man" Punk told him in stern voice "Second of all I thought he was dead or I wouldn't have stopped hitting him"

"You're too good of a man to take another life" Paul said to him

"I wanted to kill him" Punk told him honestly "You weren't there- you don't know what he was saying to her or doing to her- what he was planning on doing to her-" Punk felt his heart racing just at the memory and his face started to turn red

"I'm sure it was horrible" Paul said to him "I can't even imagine what was going through your mind."

"Well I definitely thought I was a dead man" Punk told him "But I was cool with that strangely."

"You were '_cool_' with that?" Paul asked horrified "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I was a dead man no matter and I knew that I knew that was a risk I was taking being with her" Punk told him "I just couldn't let them hurt her anymore than they already have and I thought I helped at least a little bit but clearly it wasn't good enough"

"It was" Paul said to him softly "But it just happened a few nights ago, she'll get over it and she'll be fine you just have to be patient"

"Sorry" AJ said walking back down the stairs "I just wanted to clean myself up"

"Don't be silly" Paul beamed pulling her into a hug "You look beautiful"

"Thanks" AJ said forcing a smile "So are you guys going to help me bring in my stuff?" she asked the two of them

"Yea let's go" Paul said to them

* * *

Later that night Punk talked AJ into going to dinner. It was the first time she was leaving the house since everything and knew she was going to have to suck it up.

"I'm glad you agreed to come out tonight" Punk said glancing over to her "I know it's not easy for you"

"I'm not afraid to leave the house Phil" AJ told him honestly "I'm afraid to go back"

"The house is safe AJ" Punk told her

"I thought it was safe the other night" AJ said to him "I didn't even know he was in our room" she admitted. She hadn't spoken to him about what went on while he was downstairs

"What did he do AJ?" Punk asked her

"I was leaning over the tub and he pushed my head in and kept dunking me" AJ told him "I didn't even know who it was. But I heard him come in when my back was turned but I didn't turn around because I thought it was you" she told him sadly "He must have dunked me three or four times. Every time he dunked me he held me longer"

"I'm sorry I wasn't up there to help you" Punk told her and then felt her hand lightly touch his arm while he held onto the steering the wheel

"You helped me more than you could ever know" AJ told him sincerely "God knows what would have happened to me if you weren't there."

"I wish I could help you" Punk admitted "I wish you'd let me in a little more"

"If you had never forced yourself into my life I'd probably would have ended up like Jamie" AJ admitted

"I just wish I could have prevented this entire thing" Punk told her

"You saved my life" AJ said with a laugh "There's not more you could have done" Punk pulled into the hospital parking lot, surprising AJ. "What are we doing here? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine" Punk said to her as he pulled into a spot "And so are you"

"Ok" she said unsurely "So what are we doing here?"

"Do you trust me?" Punk asked her as he turned the car off and turned to look at her

"With my life" she said honestly causing him to smile faintly

"Good, come with me" he said getting out of the car and she followed suit.

Punk and AJ headed up to the sixth floor together and he grabbed her hand and as they turned a corner.

"I still don't understand what we're doing here" AJ admitted looking around the large hospital. All of the sudden AJ spotted Drew Keith, the former detective heading straight towards them.

"Hey guys" Drew smiled "How are you two doing?"

"Good" Punk said to him

"I never got a chance to say thank you-" AJ started

"Don't thank me" Drew said offering her smile "I should be thanking you two actually."

"Why is that?" Punk asked

"Not only are we going to nail Christian Scott finally but I got my job back yesterday" Drew told them happily

"Good for you" AJ said genuinely

"Yea you deserve it" Punk said shaking his hand "Thank you for doing this for us"

"No problem" Drew said leading them down the hall where there was a uniformed officer standing outside a door "He's right in there and take as much time as you need"

"Great" Punk said as Drew walked away

"What's going on Phil?" AJ asked looking over to him

"Lee is in there" Punk said pointing to the door. AJ's face immediately dropped.

"I don't want to be here" she said shaking her head and turning around to walk away

"AJ wait" Punk said lightly grabbing her arm "Go inside" he encouraged

"I don't want to be alone with him" AJ whispered feeling herself getting worked up

"He's handcuffed AJ" Punk said to her "I would never- _ever_ put you in harms way"

"What am I supposed to say to him?" AJ asked him "Too bad my boyfriend didn't kill you?"

"If that's how you feel sure" Punk said with a shrug "I want you to see that he can't get to you. None of them can anymore"

"Phil" she whispered "I don't think I can face him"

"You don't have to" Punk told her simply "I think it will help you but you don't have to I understand"

"Can you come with me?" she asked

"I don't think they really want me in there" Punk smirked "Drew is afraid I'll kill him and I just might. You're strong AJ you can do this" he encouraged and she nodded slowly

"Ok" she agreed walking back to the door with Punk's hand in hers

"You really don't have to do this" Punk said feeling the strong grip she had on her hand

"I know" AJ said forcing a smile "If I'm not out in five minutes come in and get me?" she asked innocently

"Of course" he smirked kissing the top of her head. The uniformed officer stepped aside as AJ reached for the door handle, she looked back at Punk one final time and he gave her a quick wink before she headed in.

AJ slowly stepped into the dark room and the first thing she looked at was his right hand and saw he was in fact handcuffed to his bed. She let out a breath and that caused the man to open his eyes as much as they could- they were swollen almost completely shut. Punk really did a number on him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lee questioned coldly in a raspy voice. Clearly every word he spoke physical pained him

"I just wanted to see for myself that you're here" AJ said to him "I wanted to make sure you were suffering as much as I am"

"You really want to compare?" Lee asked bitterly "You don't have a scratch on you"

"Actually I have faint bruise here" she said running her finger under her eye "That's where you hit me"

"Well I have a couple more than you so I'd say that you won" Lee retorted coldly "your crazy psychotic boyfriend she be the one handcuffed, not me"

"My boyfriend protected me" AJ told him coldly "He did what any real man would have done in that situation. He should have been handed a medal"

"He nearly killed me" Lee shot at her

"Phil is the most amazing person I have ever met and I know if he would have killed you it really would have effected him" AJ informed him "And for that reason only I'm glad he didn't kill you. A lot of women in my situation would say 'good you can go to prison and suffer' but I'd rather you dead. I'd like to sleep at night knowing you're not lurking around"

"Can't get me out of your head, huh?" Lee smirked lightly "I have that affect on women"

"I kept seeing you every time I closed my eyes and it scared me" she told him honestly "but now that I see this is what you look like I feel a lot better and hopefully when I close my eyes tonight this is the image I'll see" she said coldly with a smile "I truly hope you suffer for what you did"

"I liked you better when you were with Christian and didn't talk" Lee remarked

"I'm not that girl anymore and I never will be again" AJ shot at him

"He's still out there" Lee reminded her "I don't think you have to worry about me anymore but Christian Scott doesn't quit as you know"

"I'll be ready for him" AJ said to him

"He'll destroy you" Lee warned her

"I'm not alone" AJ said to him "I hope you enjoy prison because from what I heard you're going to spending a very long time in there"

"I'm sure I won't be there long" Lee laughed "Christian Scott isn't going to let one of his lower level guys who knows a little too much live. He'll think I'm going to rat on him"

"This is the life you picked" AJ told him "I don't feel bad for you"

"You picked this life too" Lee reminded her "There's no way out for us AJ"

"There is for me" AJ said to him "I'm moving on and never looking back"

"Good luck with that" Lee snorted

As soon as AJ stepped out of the room she saw Punk leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"How'd it go?" he asked coolly

"Good" AJ said to him "I said what I had to do and it's done"

"Great" Punk smiled

"So are we actually going to get dinner or was that just a lie?" she teased

"Nah I think I can spring for dinner" He laughed placing his arm around her shoulders

* * *

Once they arrived back at the house Punk stepped in first remembering what AJ said to him in the car. It all seemed quiet and peaceful.

"You want me to look around first?" Punk offered

"Um" AJ said glancing around the large home "No" she said hesitantly

"Are you sure? I will" Punk told her seriously

"I can't live in fear" AJ said to him "I don't want to live that way"

"So does that mean you'll be joining me in our bed tonight?" Punk questioned

"Our bed" she snorted "I have to get used to that and yes I think so. Even though I know you slept downstairs too."

"I don't like sleeping without you" Punk admitted

"I don't like it either" AJ agreed with a faint smile

"Come on" he said grabbing her by the hand and leading her up the stairs "I'm so glad you agreed to live with me. I was starting to think you were going to back out on me"

"I've made a lot of mistakes this last year but being with you isn't one" AJ told him honestly "I want to be here with you"

"Good" He smiled as he pushed open their bedroom door and AJ entered the room for the first time since that night "This is our room" he told her slowly "Don't let anyone take that away from you"

"You're right" she said with a faint smile

"And check this out" Punk said walking over to the closet and opening the door. She saw all of her cardigans hanging and a small shelf that held all of her converse shoes

"When did you do all of this?" AJ asked stunned "I just got the stuff"

"Paul helped" Punk shrugged "He stayed after we left and put some of your stuff away- well most of it. I didn't want him touching your underwear though"

"Thanks for that" she laughed "This is great thank you" she said to him with a smile

"I just want you feel at home" Punk admitted with a simple shrug

"I feel at home anywhere you are" AJ replied sweetly pulling him into a slow kiss

"I feel the same way" Punk her as he pulled away

"I want to be with you" she whispered nuzzling her head into his chest, inhaling his scent from his t-shirt

"You don't have to. We can wait until you're ready" Punk assured her

"I'm ready" AJ said pulling away slightly to look up at him "Let's make this room our room again" she said to him and that was all the conformation he needed. He swiftly lifted her shirt over her body and picked her up with ease and she lightly bent her knees at his waist pulling him into a passionate kiss. He lightly placed her on the bed.

"You are so beautiful" he said looking down at her while removing his own shirt. She inched her way up the bed slightly and he crawled back over her.

"When are you going to tell me what these mean?" AJ asked running her hands over his tattooed covered chest

"Soon" he said grabbing her hands lightly and kissing them softly "Right now I don't want to talk" he smirked letting go of her hands and leaning down to kiss down her torso. He trailed wet kisses all the way down her until he hit the top of her jeans. "I love having you here" he whispered against her bare stomach before leaving another kiss there causing her to giggle "You are so ticklish" he laughed as he unbuttoned her jeans

"Everyone is ticklish" she defended

"I'm not" Punk informed her

"We'll see about that" AJ grinned. "I love a challenge" he then quickly unzipped her jeans and tugged them down her slender legs and tossed them to the floor. "And you" she added causing him to look up at smirk at her. He leaned down and placed a kiss over her panties before tugging them down her legs as well.

"Come join me back up here" AJ said waving him up to her

"No baby" he said simply as he lightly pulled her legs apart

"Phil" she whispered trying to look down at her

"Hmm" he hummed as he lowered himself to her most intimate area "You are perfect" he whispered against her sensitive skin "Do you even know that?"

"Babe" she whispered but lost all her thought as she felt his fingers spread her lips apart "Please" she pleaded

"You don't have to beg baby. I should be the one begging for you" Punk said to her causing her to feel so much love from him. It amazed her that the simplest of words could make her feel so good. She ran her hands over his buzzed hair. He lightly blew against her skin causing her stomach to flutter in anticipation and a moment later his tongue was inside of her. Her head against the mattress and her hands clutched the comforter at the side of her.

"I can't baby" She whispered feeling herself completely overloaded with pleasure

"You can" Punk whispered taking a breath before he lowered his head once again causing her to let out a load moan. His hands moved to cup her 'fantastic ass' as he lapped her up as if he was in the desert and just came across water for the first time in days.

"Oh god you have to stop" She moaned as her body arched off the bed. But he completely ignored her until she climaxed and didn't stop until he took in every single drop she offered him. Once she crashed against the bed he crawled back on her body and maneuvered himself between her legs

"How was that?" he smirked seeing her satisfied face

"That was….I can't even" she panted lightly causing him to smile. He leaned down and kissed her, slipping his tongue that was just elsewhere into her mouth and she could easily taste herself against his lips and tongue

"Now you know how good you taste" he whispered against her lips before kissing her again.

"I need you now" she said as her eyes opened finally. They were filled with lust and want and Punk simply couldn't deny her, not that he was going to anyway. He leaned up slightly and tugged his shorts and underwear down so they locked around his knees, he couldn't wait a minute longer he was in borderline pain. AJ arched up and rubbed herself against his hard member causing him to groan

"My girl is so impatient" he grinned. He loved that she couldn't get enough of him and he knew he felt the same way

"Your girl wants you- _right now_" she said in a dangerous tone "Make your girl forget everything in this world, make her feel that we're the only two people on this world" she whispered pulling his neck down to her mouth, she sucked over his pulse point and kissed up to his ear. She had learned the spot behind his ear was his sweet spot

"You're pretty flexible right?" Punk questioned

"Yea" she said with an unsure laugh. She felt Punk lift her right leg over his shoulder and swiftly entered her.

"Oh shit" he moaned as he felt her around him "You are so fucking tight" he choked out as he began to move in and out of her. He used his one hand to keep her leg up while his other hand clutched at the mattress next to her head. His forehead was resting against hers. "It feels so good, you feel so good" he moaned against her

"You make me feel good" she panted out as he kept his movements at a steady pace and AJ responded against him causing him to groan

"Fuck….I'm not going to last" he muttered

"Me either" she said as his thrusts became quicker and much harder. She rested her hands against his shoulders while he moved in and out. "Babe" she panted loudly to let him know she was about to lose herself in him again.

"Let go baby" he encouraged and that's all it took. He could feel her drip down him slightly causing him to groan, he was just about finished. He leaned down and kissed her one final time before he exploded inside of her. He carefully placed her leg down and collapsed against her. His head was resting on her right shoulder and she could feel him trying to catch his breath as she was trying to do as well.

"I love you" she told him kissing his ear lightly

"I love you too" he said against her own her


	24. Night Of The Living Exes

**Chapter 24: Night Of The Living Exes**

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived for Monday Night Raw. As soon as they entered the arena all eyes were on them. Punk didn't mind it but he didn't want her to be uncomfortable. He had just spent most of the week trying to help her move past all of this but now he realized people back here would be asking her questions and bringing her back to that night.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Punk spat a producer who was looking towards them

"Phil leave it" AJ said forcing a smile "He's a little crabby sorry" she said pulling him away

"Don't apologize for me" Punk said annoyed "They're eyeing on you like a zoo animal"

"They're curious Phil" AJ sighed "It's ok"

"It's not ok." Punk argued back as they approached his private locker room

"You can't just pick fights with people back here" AJ reminded him "They just don't know what to say"

"So they gawk at us?" Punk mocked "I assumed Vince was going to take care of this, clearly I was mistaken"

"Just give it sometime" She suggested "It's not bothering me so don't let it bother you"

"Well if someone does bother you let me know" Punk said to her causing her to roll her eyes "I mean it AJ. The people back here are sharks and I don't want anyone thinking they can disrespect you"

"In all fairness I'm the still the new girl here so I should be gawked, gossiped and hazed" AJ told him causing him to snort

"You're with me AJ" He reminded her seriously "No one back here better even consider hazing you"

"That's not fair" AJ smirked sitting on the couch

"I don't care" Punk shrugged "Besides you worked here before"

"It's different when you're a talent" AJ reminded him "I'm still not used to it. I feel like I should be cutting up t-shirts for everyone"

"People should be cutting up shirts for you" Punk smirked

"I'm the best at it" AJ reminded him "That's why people still come to me and ask me to do it"

"Seriously?" Punk asked

"I still cut all of Dolph's shirts" she informed him proudly

"Tell that prick to cut up his own shirts" Punk said annoyed "You don't get paid to cut up his crappy shirts"

"I like doing it" AJ told him causing him to roll his eyes

"Whatever floats your boat honey" he teased "But remember you're a talent now. Not only should you start being treated like one but you should act like one or no one back here will take you seriously"

"You're right" she agreed slightly "But I'm still cutting up all of my own stuff"

Paul entered the room without knocking and smiled at the couple. They both seemed to be in better spirits.

"Damn I was hoping of catching another view of AJ" Paul frowned causing AJ to blush and giggle

"Really Paul?" Punk asked in awe

"Learn to lock your doors" Paul suggested "And I'll stop barging in"

"Noted" Punk muttered

"You guys seem happier" Paul noted happily "And I think you're going to be happier"

"What's going on?" Punk asked taking a seat next to AJ on the couch

"You're cutting a promo tonight" Paul told him "And AJ will be joining us in the ring for it"

"Really?" AJ asked happily

"Really" Paul confirmed "Obviously you're going to go out there and rip saint Cena for accidentally hitting your girlfriend, maybe accuse him of doing it on purpose" He suggested with a shrug "And if you could add in how AJ is an already trained professional wrestler that would really help us for next week"

"What's next week?" Punk asked

"AJ getting into the ring" Paul told him casually as if it wasn't a big deal but he knew AJ would be over the moon

"Are you frigging kidding me!" AJ shouted

"They're talking about a mixed tag match. You and Punk taking on Cena and Eve" he told her and as soon as he finished AJ launched herself off the couch and wrapped her arms around Paul

"You are the best!" she squealed

"Oh thank you" Paul said happily enjoying the hug and running his hands up and down her back

"Paul" Punk warned

"She's not letting go either" Paul defended keeping his grip around AJ

"Why do I have to have constantly keep men from hugging my girlfriend" Punk asked annoyed as AJ pulled away

"She's very huggable" Paul smiled over to AJ

"Thanks Paul" she smiled back

"Relax I'd never make a move on your girlfriend" Paul told him causing him to snicker

"Gee thanks Paul" Punk laughed as AJ took a seat on Punk's lap

"Oh and I have something else for you" Paul said happily pulling out a shirt he tucked in the back of his pants "It's kid size, I'm sure you'll fit into it just fine" he said passing her one of Punk's shirts "I was thinking you could cut it up"

"This is great" AJ beamed "You don't mind right?" she asked looking to Punk

"Do I mind you wearing my shirt? Absolutely not" he smirked "I think you'd look great in it"

"And out of it" Paul smirked

"Paul" Punk scolded as AJ laughed

"I'm sorry I'm just very excited and you know how inappropriate I get when I'm this excited" Paul said to them "I think you two are going to be huge"

"The three of us" Punk corrected

"You're the glue" AJ informed him "And you made a lot of this happen for me"

"Oh no kiddo you did this" Paul informed him seriously "I'm just the mouth piece you're the talent"

"You've done a lot" Punk told him seriously "I appreciate it"

"Me too" AJ smiled towards him

"Alright one more hug" he said opening his arms wide waving her over

"No" Punk said tugging AJ back on her lap as she began to stand up "I'm not that appreciative"

"Fair" Paul smiled and then there was a knock at the door

"You hear that?" Punk asked Paul "That's the sound of knocking" He teased his friend

"Weird, I'll have to look into that and see how it works" Paul mocked back opening the door.

"Hey" John Cena said stepping inside

"I'll let you all brainstorm" Paul told them "See you out there" he said then left the locker room

"What's up Cena?" Punk asked annoyed as John eyed AJ who was sitting on Punk's lap

"I just wanted to check in and see how you two were holding up" John told them honestly

"We're ok" Punk answered for the two of them

"If there's anything you need just let me know" John offered

"Thanks John" AJ smiled

"And as for tonight I'd offer to run over lines with you guys but I'm pretty sure you're not going to follow the script" John smirked

"Give the boy scout a treat, he's actually right about something" Punk mocked causing John to let out a bitter laugh

"I look forward to working with you Miss. AJ" John told her politely "And Punk- I'll just see you out there" he smirked before walking out of the locker room

"Why are you so mean to him?" AJ asked him

"I didn't think I was mean" Punk defended innocently

"He's a nice guy" AJ pointed out

"Yea he's wonderful" Punk retorted with an eye-roll "Saint John Cena. He just has it all going for him."

"He does" AJ agreed "But you're better. In the ring and out"

"Yea?" Punk asked

"Absolutely" she said surely "Watching you in the ring is like watching art. You captivate the entire audience, which is why even when you're playing the worst heel in history you still bring to their feet while they cheer for you"

"Well when you say it like that…." Punk trailed off innocently enjoying the compliments

"And as for out of the ring I don't think I need even tell you" AJ smiled

"I think I do" Punk said to her seriously "My ego really needs the boost"

"Oh I'm sure" AJ laughed "Well you are defiantly the hottest guy that works here, you're rough, handsome, and I love the fact that you wear your heart on your sleeve" she said running a finger up his arm "And on your chest, and hands" she smiled gazing into his eyes "You also make me feel like the most important person in the room"

"You are the most important person in the room" Punk told her seriously causing her to smile and tilt her head towards him

"You love me like no one else" AJ said to him

"Do you mean physically or emotionally?" Punk questioned innocently

"Oh I think you know I mean both" AJ said widening her smile "And the most important thing about you that not only separates you from John Cena but everyone else back here- you are the most passionate person on this planet, in the ring and out. Did that help your ego at all?"

"Yes actually" Punk smiled towards "Thank you"

"Anytime your ego needs me just give me a call" she teased lightly moving to the side so she was off his lap but kept her legs thrown over his so she was still close to him.

"You know speaking of my tattoos…." He trailed off

"You're finally going to explain them all to me?" AJ questioned hopefully

"Sure but first I want to add to it" Punk told her

"What are you thinking of getting?" she asked curiously "And where?" she laughed knowing he was already almost completely covered

"Here" he said holding out his wrist "I want something of yours actually"

"Seriously?" she asked surprised

"Yea. How can I have my heart on my sleeve without the biggest part of it?" he asked seriously causing her own heart to melt

"Are you going to get my name?" She asked him tracing over the small blank spot on his wrist

"No I don't really do names" Punk smirked "I want a piece of you on my body"

"How will that work?" AJ giggled

"Well I was thinking I could get one of my favorite parts of your body tattooed on me" Punk told her seriously causing her eyes to widen

"You are not getting a tattoo of my butt!" AJ warned causing him to laugh

"That is one of my favorite parts of you" Punk agreed running his hand up and down her jean clad thigh "But I want to be appropriate" he smirked using his free hand and ran his thumb lightly over her lips "I want your lips on me" AJ opened her mouth slightly catching the tip of Punk's thumb and lightly sucked on it for a moment before releasing him

"That sounds awesome" AJ smiled

"When we get back to Chicago I need you to come down to the tattoo parlor with me so we can get an imprint of those perfect lips" he told her

"I feel so special" AJ smirked "No one has ever tattooed me on them"

"You are special" Punk told her bluntly leaning in to kiss her

"Oh wow it's just like when we were dating" Beth smirked from the doorway. Punk pulled away from AJ slowly knowing whose voice that belonged to.

"Elizabeth" Punk grunted out "Wonderful to see you" he mocked

"Phil" AJ scolded pinching his arm lightly

"I was being nice" Punk defended

"I don't think you have a nice bone in your body at least not towards me" Beth shot at him sarcastically

"What are you doing here Beth? Already bored with retirement?" Punk questioned

"Not exactly. I was in town thought I'd see some old friends, old boyfriends" Beth shrugged simply

"Great" Punk smirked "Well AJ and I were kind of the middle of something so…."

"I just wanted to say hello to AJ" Beth shot at him then smiled towards AJ

"Hi Beth" AJ said forcing a smile "Good to see you"

"I wanted to let you know that as a woman I'm very proud of you" Beth told her sincerely "What you've gone through has been very tough and you've given female wrestlers a good name for a change. You should proud of yourself"

"Thank you so much" AJ said stunned by her kind of words

"You can use a little help in your taste of boyfriends though" Beth smirked nodding towards Punk

"And you blow it" Punk laughed "You just can't say one nice thing without being a total bitch can you?"

"Punk's been wonderful" AJ defended

"I bet" Beth grinned "Well I always knew he had a good side I just never saw it" she told her "Good luck tonight I look forward to seeing you work in the future"

"Thanks" AJ mumbled

"Bye Beth" Punk smirked "It's been great seeing you please come around again" he told her sarcastically

"Careful I just might take you up on that" Beth laughed then left the locker room

"She is so scary" AJ told him with a laugh "How did you date her?"

"She was difficult" Punk agreed "But in all fairness while I was dating her I was fooling around with you" he reminded her

"Ugh I feel so bad about that. She didn't deserve that" AJ admitted "But it was fun" she smirked "I still think about that night in the park"

"The park?" Punk asked seriously

"Don't tell me you don't remember the park!" AJ scolded in shock

"I have no idea what you're talking about" he said to her seriously

"Phil" She said in a disappointed voice "Come on it was after our double date and I went for a run and you followed me like some groupie" she teased but his face never changed- he had no idea what she was talking about

"Phil!" she laughed slapping his arm "How could you forget! You pushed me against the tree…."

"And then what happened?" Punk asked

"You know…." She trailed off blushing just remembering the night

"Oh wait!" Punk smirked "I think I remember" he said trailing his hand up her thigh until he reached another one of his favorite spots. He began to rub the palm of his hand over her jeans "It was something like this right?" he asked innocently trying to look her in the eyes but she was getting way too caught up in his touch.

"Yea something like it" she smirked pulling his hand away and standing up

"Where are you going?" Punk asked

"I'm going to cut up on my shirt" AJ said to him happily "I have a big night"

"But we were just-" Punk started "-we were reliving memories over here!"

"Later baby" she smiled kneeling over and kissing him quickly

* * *

The segment went off without a hitch. Punk dominated on the microphone and when he spoke about how strong of a couple him and AJ were she knew he was subtly speaking to Christian and not John Cena. She felt good being in the ring officially for the first time even though she wasn't wrestling and she was praised for her perfect facial expressions and able to play the part of a heel along with Punk and Paul. After the show Punk and AJ decided to head to the gym in town since it was open 24 hours. It as just like the old days and both were relaxed at the gym knowing they didn't have to hide from his girlfriend or her boyfriend. He glanced over and saw her on the elliptical machine before placing his weights down.

"I thought I asked you to get her back into the ring, not into bed" a voice said from behind him. Punk didn't recognize the voice but his first instinct was to throw a punch. When he turned around he was surprised to see Jay Lethal. "I'm kidding" he laughed shaking his hand

"Lethal" Punk said eyeing the man "What are you doing here?"

"I'm part owner of this very gym actually" Jay informed

"Hm. I had no idea" Punk said to him and he really didn't know or he wouldn't have selected this gym.

"Obviously" Jay smirked "So I heard about all the craziness. How is she doing?" he asked nodding over towards her. She hadn't spotted Jay yet as she was completely in the zone

"She's great" Punk told him honestly not really feeling comfortable with the idea of talking about AJ to Jay. Now that he thought about it he wasn't sure why they broke up to begin with, she never discussed it or him for that matter.

"Well she looks good" Jay said looking towards her and smiling, which Punk caught

"Yea I know" Punk said snapping his fingers in Jay's face to get his attention "Is that it?"

"Yea, yea" Jay nodded looking over to him "I'm going to run over and say hi" he told him

"Or you could just let her work out in peace" Punk suggested "She's got a lot on her mind"

"AJ was a huge part of my life. I care about her a lot I want to see for myself she's ok" Jay told him

"You see her" Punk said pointing to her "See? She's great. I'll tell her you were asking for her" AJ now looked over and saw her past and current chatting and quickly turned off her machine and walked over.

"April" Jay smiled pulling her into a hug.

"Hey Jay" she said pulling away and standing next to Punk

"I caught your segment tonight. You looked great" Jay said

"We get it she looks great" Punk said with a smirk causing AJ to smile nervously

"I'm glad to see you wrestling again" Jay said to her "And I'm happy you have someone helping you out"

"AJ doesn't need my help" Punk informed him

"Phil is a great teacher" AJ said to him "I am very lucky" she said wrapping her arm around his waist

"Good." Jay said offering her a smile "I'm glad you're safe and seemingly happy"

"I am happy. Happier than I have been in my entire life" AJ told him honestly.

"Cool you deserve it" Jay said to her

"We done?" Punk asked him

"Sure" Jay laughed "I'll see you two around"

"Hopefully not" Punk remarked with a grin causing Jay to let out a laugh

"It's like night of the living exes" AJ smirked against him

"Yea. Why didn't you mention he owned this gym?" Punk asked her

"I had no idea" AJ said quickly "I know he has a place out here I just assumed he'd have all his business in Tampa"

"He still has a thing for you" Punk informed her reaching for his gym bag

"Oh stop" she laughed

"I'm serious. You should have seen him looking at you" Punk defended

"Do not be jealous of Jay" AJ said with a laugh

"I'm not jealous of anyone" Punk said seriously "I'm just curious as to what happened with the two of you"

"Jay was a great guy" AJ told him "He was my first everything" she admitted as they walked out of the gym. He grabbed her hand as they began their hike two blocks over back to their hotel.

"First everything?" Punk questioned

"Literally" She said seriously "My first kiss, my first date, my first boyfriend, my first-" well you get the point

"You're telling me you went through all of high school without a boyfriend or even kissing someone?" Punk asked stunned

"Yes" she laughed "I wasn't exactly the popular girl. But anyway Jay was very good to me. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him but working with him was difficult once we got serous and the other guys in the class picked up on it he started to be extra tough on me to prove I wasn't getting special treatment which was fine. I love to work hard and I wanted to earn my spot anyway"

"So what was the problem?" Punk questioned glancing down at her

"He slept with his neighbor" AJ smirked "I actually walked in on them having sex"

"He cheated on you?" Punk asked disgusted "He had you and still felt the need to be with someone else?" he just couldn't wrap his around it "He's truly an idiot"

"You're sweet" she smirked leaning her head against his shoulder as they slowly walked the streets

"But you stayed in the school with him?" Punk asked

"I did. I broke up with him on the spot and stayed in his class because at the time I wanted to wrestle and he cut me a break money wise" AJ told him "I mean I hated being around him but I didn't let it taint my training you know until I met Christian"

"Which you met how?" Punk questioned

"You're certainly curious tonight" she laughed "I told you at a restaurant. Actually I got the restaurant job to help pay for my wrestling classes because I didn't want to have to owe Jay a thing"

"It must make him crazy seeing how crazy successful you're becoming" Punk said proudly

"I've been on TV twice" AJ laughed

"And you're the most talked about person" Punk pointed "People love you"

"Yea, yea I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm connected to you" AJ replied

"Oh babe I wish I could take the credit" Punk said honestly as he reached for the hotel main door and held it open for her. Punk's phone started to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket "I've got to take this" he said passing her the card key "I'll meet you upstairs"

"Sure" she said grabbing his gym bag and heading over to the elevator.

"Hey" Punk said keeping his eyes on AJ as she walked onto the elevator "Did you take care of that thing for me?"

"Yea" Colt said to him in a firm voice "You didn't tell me what I was picking up!"

"You opened it?" Punk asked

"Are you kidding me?" Colt mocked "You leave me with your credit card and send me to a jewelry store to pick something up for you and I'm not going to snoop? I mean I really wasn't going to look until I heard the price and almost fainted"

"What did you think of it?" Punk asked him

"It's an engagement ring" Colt replied

"I know what it is. I picked it out myself I asked what you thought of it" Punk said annoyed

"And you knew the price of it beforehand?" Colt asked stunned "You are one of the cheapest people I have ever met in my life!"

"I don't give a shit about the price of it!" Punk yelled "Do you think she'll like it?"

"For over two hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars I'm sure she'll love it" Colt said slowly

"You don't think I'm going to scare her off right?" Punk asked him

"This is a question you should have asked me before you went and picked out the ring" Colt said annoyed

"Damn it Colt!" Punk yelled "I'm asking for some advice here!"

"I think it's a great ring and even if it was anyone else I'd say you were insane that you two have only been dating a few months and you're totally going to scare her off" Colt told him "But it's AJ and I think you've found your other half and you two have been through so much together. But I have to ask when did you decide this?"

"The day after the attack" Punk told him "I thought we were both going to die and I remember thinking if we got out of this I was going to marry her"

"Literally huh?" Colt laughed

"She's it for me. I don't want anyone else and I don't want waste anymore time. I know I'm going to be with her for the rest of my life so why prolong it?" Punk asked

"I support you a hundred percent" Colt said to him

"Where is the ring?" Punk asked

"I put in your safe" Colt told him

"Don't leave it there she knows the combination" Punk said to him "Put it in my sock drawer or something. Just let me know when you find a good place"

"Are you shitting me?" Colt asked seriously "You want me to put a two hundred and fifty-five thousand dollar ring in your sock drawer?"

"Fine bring it to your place and I'll pick it up next week when I'm back in town" Punk said to him

"No chance in hell" Colt said to him "Your ring is more expensive than everything I own in my apartment combined"

"Don't leave it in the safe" Punk warned "If you blow this for me I'm going to hurt you"

"Fine" Colt groaned "Look all jokes aside I'm happy for you and congratulations"

"She didn't say yes yet" Punk reminded him and he heard his friend chuckle

"She'll say yes" Colt said to him "I call best man" he teased before hanging up.


	25. Thank You

**Chapter 25: Thank You**

* * *

Punk and AJ were back home in Chicago and working out downstairs. She was too excited for her first televised match next Monday. She was really concentrating and he knew he would have to pry her away from the gym later so she could get some sleep. Punk on the other hand was done working out and headed upstairs to take a shower. As he headed towards the bedroom he heard voices inside the room and immediately tensed, he slowly crept down the hall. It didn't take long for Punk to realize who was in his room and quickly stepped inside.

"You both have to be stupid" Punk said starling the two men in his room

"You scared the shit out of us!" Cliff yelled annoyed

"Oh did I break into your house only two weeks after someone else already did and tried to kill you?" Punk mocked him and Colt "You better thank whatever god you believe in that it was me coming up here and not AJ because if you would have scared her I would have fucking killed you both"

"Sorry we didn't even think of that" Cliff frowned

"Yea we thought we had some time before you came up" Colt added

"Why are you both sneaking around my bedroom anyway?" Punk asked annoyed

"I wasn't sniffing through AJ's underwear drawer if that's what you're thinking" Cliff said seriously

"I wasn't thinking that" Punk said to him annoyed "But now I am"

"I wanted to show him the ring" Colt said to him

"You told him?" Punk asked

"You never said not to tell anyone" Colt defended quickly

"I thought that went without saying" Punk shot at him

"Well you were wrong" Colt smirked

"Dude this ring is huge!" Cliff said holding the ring box open "I can't believe how much you spent on it!"

"She's worth it" Punk said snatching the ring away

"So when are you going to do it?" Cliff asked anxiously "I need to know how much time I have to make a move on her before she's officially off the market"

"Shut up" Punk warned "And I don't know"

"So you went out of your way to get this ridiculously expensive ring and you have no idea how or when you're going to propose?" Cliff asked stunned

"I've never thought about proposing to anyone ever" Punk reminded them "I'm not even sure how to do it"

"You have to get down on one knee" Colt offered

"Thanks man that was real helpful" Punk remarked seriously but rolling his eyes afterwards

"You're welcome" Colt smiled happily

"With the size of this rock I think you could do it anyway and she'll say yes" Cliff said to him snatching the ring box away from Punk to look at it again

"Be careful!" Punk warned "If you lose the ring I'm going to hurt you really, really badly"

"Can I make suggestion? Try not hiding such an expensive item in your sock drawer" Cliff mocked admiring the ring

"She won't look in there" Punk shrugged

"Where is your beautiful girlfriend?" Cliff asked

"She's down in the gym still" Punk told them as Cliff passed him back the ring "Where are you going?"

"AJ is downstairs sweating in little clothing where do you think I'm going?" Cliff asked with a snort

"I hate you!" Punk shouted as Cliff walked out of the room

"So you're really going to do this?" Colt asked

"You think I'm making a mistake?" Punk asked him

"No because I know you and I know you don't make mistakes" Colt told him honestly "I'm happy for you"

"I'm really nervous" Punk admitted with a grin "I've never been so nervous in my entire life"

"It's a big step one that I never imagined you would take" Colt said with a laugh.

"Thinking I was going to lose her woke me up" Punk admitted

"You were willing to die for her" Colt said agreeing with him "You stupidly attacked a guy knowing you could have been killed instantly and if it wasn't for some freak occurrence you would have been"

"I didn't even think about it" Punk admitted "And even when I think back to it now I wouldn't have changed a thing. I want her to be happy and safe"

"She's lucky to have you" Colt told him seriously "And she'd be a fool to say no to you"

"She might not be ready" Punk said to him

"Have you two ever discussed marriage?" Colt asked

"No" Punk laughed "We never discussed living together either but that didn't stop me from asking her"

"Go for it and don't over think it" Colt told him "Alright I'm going to go downstairs and say hello to the future Mrs. Brooks and make sure Cliff is behaving himself"

"Thanks" Punk groaned

* * *

Later that night AJ had finally emerged from the gym.

"Jeez I thought I was going to have to smoke you out" Punk told her seriously

"I want to make sure I'm in perfect shape" AJ defended lightly "And it helps that you have like the best gym ever."

"Trust me babe you're in perfect shape" Punk assured her

"Cliff showed me some new stuff too" AJ told him causing him to groan

"He just wants an excuse to put his hand on you" Punk informed her

"He was a perfect gentleman" AJ assured him kissing the corner of his mouth quickly

"Good" Punk said as he watched her reach for a cold bottle of water. Even doing the simplest things like that caused him to smile. It was just something about her….

"What?" AJ laughed noticing he was admiring her "Do I have something on me?" she asked looking down at her workout clothes

"Nope" he said simply "You just look beautiful is all" he defended

"You're the best" she laughed "But I'm far from beautiful. I've been working out for hours and I stink and need a shower"

"Ok" Punk smirked as he watched her walk out of the kitchen and head upstairs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring once again

AJ stepped out of the shower and threw on one of Punk's t-shirts and a pair of shorts. She was letting her hair air dry tonight and stepped into the bedroom. Punk was already upstairs unpacking some of his things from the previous road trip. He looked over and saw her walk out with zero makeup, messy hair and baggy clothes- she was perfect he thought to himself.

"You're doing it again" AJ laughed at him

"Doing what?" he asked quickly

"Gawking at me like I look horrible" AJ smirked hopping onto the bed "What's going on?"

"I didn't mean to stare I just can't help it" Punk admitted with a shrug

"What's on your mind?" she questioned "Are you having second thoughts about us living together? Or are you bored with me already?" she said teasing him slightly

"Neither actually" Punk informed her coolly

"So there is something" AJ grinned "What's going on? You can talk to me about anything"

"I wouldn't even know where to begin" Punk started off

"Now I'm worried" AJ said seriously "If you didn't just my lips tattooed on you a few hours ago I'd be sure you were getting ready to breakup with me"

"I don't want to break up with you" Punk promised pulling more shirts out his bag "I never want to break up with you actually"

"You say that now but I can get pretty annoying" she teased

"I'm no prince either" Punk grinned "I was actually thinking how much I love having you this house. You've really made it into a home for me"

"I've never had a home as you know" AJ smirked "We moved so much when I was a child and after that I lived with Jay and Christian and those places weren't my home"

"Do you feel at home here?" Punk asked genuinely wanting to know

"This is the only place I've ever felt comfortable and at first I thought it was because of all your awesome comics and toys" she teased lightly "but I've realized I'm just comfortable where you are and I don't want to scare you because I know we're still new at this dating thing but-"

"I get it" Punk smirked "I feel the same way"

"Do you? Because these last few days you seem pretty distant and not for nothing you haven't attempted once to seduce me" she said to him causing him to let out a laugh as he walked over to his dresser and placed some shirts away

"I've been nervous actually" Punk admitted to her

"Nervous about what?" She asked "This has been the most peaceful time of our entire relationship" she reminded him

"It's ok if you say no" Punk said turning around and now she was really confused "And this isn't how I wanted to do this exactly but I have to do it now or I'll never work the nerve up to do it" he chattered nervously

"Phil what's going?" AJ asked concerned as Punk stepped over to her as she sat at the edge of the bed

"After what happened here I kept thinking about how quickly my life could have been gone" Punk admitted "I mean in an instant I could have been dead"

"I know" AJ frowned sadly. He didn't really talk about that night much and now she was wondering if he was suffering as much as she was

"But all I could think about was you" he told her coolly "You're all I think about actually and the more time we spend together the more I fall in love with you" AJ smiled sweetly at his words. For his reputation of being such a hard ass he always said the right things to her. "I never thought I'd ever do this in my life" he said with a nervous laugh

"Move a girl into your home and share your video games with her?" AJ smirked

"No- well yes actually" He smirked then got down on one knee "I never thought I'd propose to a woman." He said reaching into his pocket and pulling out the black velvet box. AJ was completely frozen in place "I know this is fast and I won't be mad if you say no but I'm going to be with you forever and I'm a hundred percent sure of it I can wait"

"Ask me" AJ encouraged with a faint smile. Punk already felt at ease

"April Jeanette will you marry me?" Punk asked opening the box and AJ's eyes almost fell out of her head seeing the size of the diamond ring

"Yes" she whispered. Punk wasn't sure he heard her right because he was expecting her to say no.

"What?" Punk asked now starting to feel even more nervous then before he asked

"I said yes!" she laughed as she started to cry "You already have cold feet?"

"No, no" he said taking the ring out of the box with shaky hands and placing it on her left hand

"It's beautiful" she smiled as she lightly cried

"Like you" he said getting off his knee and standing up so he could pull her into a kiss

"This ring is amazing" AJ said admiring the ring fondly "You're amazing, everything just makes sense finally"

"I wanted to plan it out a little more" Punk admitted with a smirk taking a seat next to her "Maybe hire an airplane to write it out or something but I couldn't wait"

"This was perfect" AJ smiled looking over to him

"Don't cry" he said with a smile using his thumb to gently wipe away the tears falling from her eyes

"I'm just happy" AJ admitted "You make me so happy. Did you really think I would say no?"

"Yes" he laughed lightly "We haven't been together that long"

"I don't believe it's about how long you've been with someone" AJ said to him "It's about how you feel and this feels so right" she said leaning in to kiss him again then pulled away "I can't wait to tell my family!" she said happily "They'll never believe I'm actually getting married, they never thought it would happen"

"Yea about that" Punk started off "I didn't call them or anything-"

"Relax they're not very traditional" she smiled "They probably won't even come out for the wedding"

"Why?" Punk asked

"It's just been strained for us since Christian" AJ said with a subtle shrug "You're my family now"

"Yes I am" he confirmed happily "But you should call them, I can call my sisters and let them know you didn't turn me down"

"Yes we should call people…" she trailed off "But I want celebrate with you first" she smiled

"I like the idea of that" Punk smiled as AJ moved to straddle his sitting form and pulled him into a kiss. It started off sweet but before long their tongues were battling for dominance. "I love you" he whispered against her lips as he tried to take in this perfect moment with her.

"I love you so much" she responded before reaching down and kissing him again. He ran his hands under her t-shirt and tugged her as close as possible to him. He removed his hands and tugged her t-shirt over her head and carelessly threw it on the floor and before they began kissing again he unclasped her bra and tossed it to the other side of the rom

"So beautiful" he muttered before kissing around her collarbone. He left a small bite in one of his favorite spots and ventured down to her chest He took one of her breasts into his mouth and began to suck lightly causing her to moan and gently rock her hips against his growing erection. Once he felt her harden in his mouth he moved over to her other breast.

"Baby" she whispered resting her head on top of his while he pleasured her in the only way he could.

"Hmm" he questioned pulling away

"Take your shirt off" she demanded sitting up and he quickly complied. She reached for his shorts and tugged them down leaving him in his boxers.

"I want to make you as happy as you make me" AJ said kissing his lips quickly before slowly getting on her knees.

"You saying yes made me happy" Punk assured her as she ever so slowly tugged his boxers down his legs with some help from Punk. She grabbed his already hard member and started to stroke him carefully. "I want to take you to bed- now" he said in a strong voice causing her to smile

"We have all night" she reminded him before lowering her head and taking his tip into his mouth and moved slowly until she almost swallowed him completely

"Fuck" He muttered looking up at the ceiling. She began to bop her head up and down and he moved her hair out of her face so he could see how she perfectly took him into her mouth. "You make everything look so beautiful" he muttered. She reached for his hands and placed them on the side of her head

"Do it baby" she pulling away for a moment "Show me how you like it" she said licking her lips and he could have lost it right then and there. He didn't respond but just helped guide her head onto his again. He slowly lifted his hips as he carefully thrust into her mouth. He kept this up for a few more short minutes.

"AJ" he muttered trying to concentrate on his movements and watching her face "I'm going to-" he let go of her head so she could pull away but she didn't stop and that's when he felt himself reach the back of her throat and he couldn't hold back anymore and completely let go into her. He collapsed against the bed while AJ gave him one more lick and swallowed everything he gave to her.

"Was it good for you?" she asked crawling up his body so her bare chest was lying directly on top of his.

"Jesus" Punk muttered "That was better than good" he assured her trying to compose himself

"You taste really good" she smirked kissing his lips. Even though he was uncomfortable kissing her after that he didn't seem to care and pulled her against him harder, not wanting to stop kissing her ever. When the need to catch their breaths became too strong they reluctantly pulled away

"You taste better" he informed her seriously causing her smirk He rolled her over so he was hovering over her. "So much better as a matter of fact" he said pulling her small shorts down her legs along with her thong. And inserted a finger into her already soaking core. Punk loved watching her face as he entered her even if it was just with his fingers. She always rolled her eyes to the back of her head and tried to absorb it as much as she could. As quickly as he entered her he exited her pulling his finger out and bringing it to his lips. She watched with lustful eyes as he slowly placed the finger into his mouth "Mmm" he said sensually "So much better" He said as he pulled his finger out and placed it into her mouth and it was something she had never done before and never thought she would but being in the moment she really didn't care. She lightly sucked onto his finger and loved watching her do it.

"See?" he smirked pulling his finger away and kissing her lips again. He rested his pelvis against hers and her hips immediately started to move in attempt to capture him into her.

"You're better" she whispered pulling his face down to hers and giving him a kiss that literally took his breath away. "No one can make me feel the way you do" she whispered against his ear "No other man can compare to you" she said to him and he felt himself already ready to go again. She reached her hand in-between them and started to stroke him again. He let her move her hand against his him for a few more moments. He reached for her hand and pulled it away and intertwined his fingers with her. He held her arm up over her hand.

"Are you ready sweetheart?" he questioned kissing her cheek and just nodded closing her eyes getting ready to be taken to the place only Punk could take her. She felt him run his member up and down her, coating himself in the process. "I can't hear you" he said in a soft voice as he kissed the corner of her eye

"Yes Phil" She let out and that's when he entered her with ease. He pushed in as far as he could and gave her body a moment to adjust. Her hand clenched against his while her hand clutched the bed sheet next to him and her legs were bent up as he fit perfectly in-between her small body.

"Are you ok?" He asked before continuing

"Better than ok" she rasped out "Please move baby" she begged trying to lift her hips. And in an instant he was moving in and out of her. He looked over past her head and saw their hands locked together and noticed he had her left hand and the huge diamond was very present, it all became so real to him.

"You make me so fucking happy" he said against her body as he started to move faster. He was moving at a pace that literally made her toes curl against the comforter

"Oh god Phil" she yelled out as her eyes shut as tight as possible

"Open your eyes" he requested "I want to see your beautiful eyes" he told her in-between thrusts. She opened them as much as she could and looked up at him.

It didn't take too much longer before both collapsed against the bed and curled up together. His arm was draped around her, her back to his chest. He reached over to grab her left hand and looked at the ring.

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Punk muttered

"It's too late for you to back out" AJ warned with him "I'm keeping the ring regardless" she teased

"I'm not backing out" Punk said kissing her cheek quickly "I just can't believe I did this. It's just not like me. You've turned me into some romantic"

"You've always been this way I just help bring it out" AJ teased kissing his hand lightly before tucking it against her as she rested against his arm "Don't worry I won't spread the word around that the resident jerk is actually the sweetest man on this planet"

"Yea keep it to yourself" Punk warned

"You're still a jerk" she informed him

"Gee thanks" He mocked

"But you're my jerk" AJ said happily "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

"I am yours" Punk said to her

"Thank you for loving me" AJ said to him softly

"Thank you for letting me" he whispered into her ear and left a small kiss there.

* * *

Christian Scott was sitting on the porch of some beach house all the way around the world.

"What do you know?" Christian asked Jack

"Not much" Jack said to him

"You're lying" Christian said sipping on a scotch

"Nothing is confirmed" Jack reminded him

"What is it?" Christian asked again calmly

"According to his credit records Mr. Brooks made a very big purchase at a jewelry store" Jack informed him

"He doesn't seem much like a jewelry man to me" Christian noted with a chuckle

"It wasn't for him. Unless he's buying himself an engagement ring" Jack told him. Christian's hand clenched so tightly around the glass once he heard that it shattered.

"Are you sure?" Christian questioned

"No that's why we didn't want to tell you but that is what he bought" Jack told him "It could have been for a friend-"

"No he's going to ask her to marry him" Christian remarked bitterly "I can't let that happen"

"And it won't" Jack promised

"We need to get back" Christian said to him "I barely have eyes on her anymore!"

"We will but we can't right now you know you'll be arrested as soon as you enter the country again" Jack reminded him

"She can't marry him" Christian said shaking his head in shock "He can't have her!"

"We just need more time. I'm working on getting more people out there" Jack told him "A few more months-"

"Less than that!" Christian yelled standing up

"I'll do the best I can sir" Jack assured him


	26. Place Your Bets

**Chapter 26: Place Your Bets**

* * *

Punk woke up the next morning after having a peaceful night sleep for a change. He even woke up with a small smile still on his face. He wasn't sure if it was from the engagement or the way he and AJ celebrated all night along, regardless she was the reason for his happiness in some shape or fashion. He reached over to his new fiancée and found her side of the bed empty and frowned. He was hoping to wake up and the same way he fell asleep the previous night. He felt her side of the bed and it was cold so he reached over to grab his shorts and head down stairs.

Once he reached the kitchen he smelt something cooking and it wasn't good. He scrunched his nose as he entered the kitchen. Once he fully stepped into the kitchen AJ's back was to him and smiled faintly seeing all the smoke and watching her trying to wave it around the room.

"Crap" she muttered "Crap, crap, crap!"

"Having some problems dear?" Punk teased causing AJ to look over to him

"I tried to cook breakfast" she pouted and he saw some flour on her face causing him to smile even more- she was a mess but she was his mess.

"And what happened?" Punk smirked walking over to her

"I had pancakes on and I turned around for one second and I guess the flame was too high and it burnt them and everything started to smoke and I tried to use the juicer to make fresh juice but I couldn't get it on-" she rambled "Are you sure you want to marry a woman who can't even cook you breakfast?"

"Good point" Punk said seriously tapping his chin giving it some thought "Nah I think I'll keep you around" he smirked kissing her cheek "Good morning"

"It would have been" she muttered "I seriously almost burnt down your kitchen"

"Our kitchen" Punk corrected "And almost doesn't count so don't worry about it" he said walking over to the pan she was using and saw it was burnt "We needed new pans anyway"

"I wanted this morning to be perfect for you" AJ frowned

"Here let me see" he said taking her left and checking her ring "Yup it's pretty perfect. Now I know last night did in fact happen and it wasn't just a wonderful semi-erotic dream" he then eyed her from head to toe "And you look absolutely great in my shirts"

"You think I should just go out and wrestle like this Monday?" she teased

"Um the only one you're going to be wrestling dressed like that is me" Punk told her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her against him

"Fine" She agreed reaching up to kiss him lightly "I really don't want to go to work today" she admitted "I'd rather stay home with you and celebrate all day"

"All day?" Punk questioned seriously

"All day" she repeated slowly with a grin

"Let's call in sick" Punk suggested causing her to laugh

"I don't think it works like that" AJ smirked

"I don't really care" Punk told her honestly

"We have to go to work and I want to show off this ring to everyone actually" AJ told him pulling away from him "Unless you want to keep this quiet?"

"Why would I want that?" Punk asked

"You're a private guy" AJ shrugged

"I am but people will find out eventually and I like the idea of you having that ring on. It will let everyone know you're spoken for" Punk told her seriously causing her to giggle

"Oh is that how this works? It's a replant of all men?" AJ said looking at the ring "It's like a power ring!"

"It should be a replant" Punk said to her

"What are you going to wear so people know you're spoken for?" AJ challenged folding her arms and he simply held up his wrist showing off his new tattoo with her lips on it. "Fair" she smirked "I still have to pack someone distracted me last night…."

"I'd love to distract you more" Punk told her seriously

"That's ok. I'm going to go pack up and you can start cleaning the kitchen I'll be down to help" AJ said to him

"You make the mess and I clean?" Punk questioned "Is that how marriage works?"

"Yea I think that's how it works" AJ said seriously then gave him a crazy smile before running up the stairs

"She's crazy" he muttered with a grin before turning to see the full mess she left for him in the kitchen.

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived for the first house show of the week together and quickly headed to his locker room. She wasn't working tonight and wouldn't be working until Monday so it would be just him getting ready and warming up. He threw on one of his t-shirts and glanced over to her and saw her playing with her ring on the couch.

"If I knew you'd be paying more attention to the ring than to me I would have gotten you a smaller one" Punk teased

"You could have given me a gumball machine ring and I'd still wear it proud" AJ informed him

"Great all that money later and you tell me this now?" Punk mocked seriously causing her to grin

"Is my poor baby feeling neglected?" AJ teased in a soothing voice

"Yes!" Punk said to her desperately. As she was sitting on the couch she lifted her finger and waved him over and he happily walked over to her and took a seat next to her

"Hi" she smiled towards him cupping his face

"Hi there" he smirked as he pulled her into a kiss.

"I don't know what it is about this ring that just makes me want you so much" AJ muttered before climbing onto his lap

"I think you had a hard time keeping your hands off of me long before the ring" Punk pointed out innocently

"I think you're the one who has the hard time" AJ smirked rolling her hips into him causing him to groan

"Babe I have to be out in half an hour so you have two options" Punk informed her "First is you finish this so I don't go out there with a third leg or you're going to have to remove yourself from me"

"I'm just giving you the attention you were asking for" AJ replied innocently

"You're teasing me" Punk smirked at her "You're the devil and I know it"

"And yet you still asked me to marry you" She replied "What does that say about you?"

"Touché" he smirked as she leaned in kissed him "Oh good you're taking option one" he muttered as she pulled away and kissed his cheek all the way over to his ear as she rolled her hips yet again against his

"I like option one" she smiled against him

"You have it backwards" Paul Heyman said entering the room "First comes marriage _then_ comes the baby" he informed them seriously

"Shit" Punk groaned throwing his head against the couch

"Sorry guys but I wanted to congratulate you in person" Paul smiled. AJ went to get off of Punk but he held her in place

"You can't get up" he informed her moving his eyes down to his bulge and since he was already in his wrestling tights he really didn't want Paul to see this

"Thanks Paul" AJ said turning her head to look towards Paul

"Yea thanks Paul" Punk said forcing a smile "I'll see you out there"

"I was hoping I could give you both a hug" Paul smirked innocently

"Now that AJ and I are officially engaged she's not going to be hugging anyone that I don't trust will try to sniff her hair" Punk informed him "And trust me you really don't want to hug me right now"

"We've discussed the lock right?" Paul frowned looking over to Punk as AJ hid her laughter by burying her face into his neck

"Yea, yea we did just like we've discussed knocking" Punk shot at him

"Fair enough" Paul smiled "I'll see you out there Punk I hope you get yourself situated because I don't think they're going to let you wrestle with AJ attached to you like that even though I'd pay to see it"

"Jesus Paul really?" Punk asked disgusted while AJ continued to laugh into his neck

"I'm kidding and I'll even lock the door on my way out" Paul promised then left the locker room

"I think the moment is gone" AJ said pulling her face away to look at him

"Yea nothing will kill a boner faster than Paul Heyman" Punk agreed as AJ got off of him

"You're mean" AJ smirked

"Do you even hear the disgusting things he says?" Punk asked seriously "And I'm the mean one"

"He's just teasing you and you know it" AJ smirked "Because I know if anyone else said anything sexual about me you would rip them apart"

"Limb from limb" Punk added in a very serious voice

* * *

During Punk's match AJ headed into catering and watched the monitor from back there. She was a table away from where the other girls were sitting and could hear everything they were whispering about.

"…I mean come on look at that ring" Natalya whispered glancing over to AJ "It's a little over the top, no?"

"Totally over the top" Nikki agreed "How much do you want to bet this is just to help their story?"

"I wouldn't be surprised" Natalya said with a laugh "Punk is a method actor"

"So is she apparently" Nikki said to her "She was all over John during their dinner"

"Are you kidding me?" Natalya asked stunned "Even though I shouldn't be so surprised she was all over Punk when he was Beth"

"It's true!" Nikki confirmed "She even invited him back to her hotel room after dinner I mean come on" she snorted "He has me waiting for him-"

"That's a lie" AJ said standing up and walking over to the table

"We weren't talking to you AJ" Natalya informed her with a smile

"No but you were talking about me and it's all crap" AJ spat

"Is it AJ?" Nikki pouted in a mocking manner

"It is!" AJ yelled "Stop spreading rumors about me"

"Oh please AJ we're not the ones starting them" Nikki laughed

"Your dating history speaks for itself" Natalya told her smugly "I mean you dated your trainer probably so you wouldn't have to pay for wrestling school, you dated Christian who paid for everything else and now you're with Punk so you don't have to pay your dues here"

"I've worked my ass of to get here" AJ defended turning red

"No sweetie giving ass doesn't count" Nikki laughed

"How dare you! You don't even know me!" AJ yelled pointing at Nikki

"We know enough about you" Nikki defended standing up to get in her face "And while we're finally speaking keep your hands away from my man"

"Oh honey I want nothing do with your man you can keep him" AJ mocked "And I never wanted anything to do with him."

"Right" Nikki smirked "Because you weren't thinking nailing him would get you a killer storyline?"

"Well it hasn't worked for you" AJ shot back at her smugly earning a hard slap from Nikki across the face. AJ held her cheek and turned to look at Nikki trying to contain some of her anger.

"What the hell is this?" Michael Hayes asked annoyed as he approached the women

"AJ jumped all over me" Nikki defended quickly "I'd hate to have to call John and tell him what goes on here when you're in charge for the night"

"That's not true" AJ defended to Michael

"What are you even doing here AJ?" Michael asked rolling his eyes "You don't belong here"

"That's what we were saying" Nikki said taking a seat

"I'm here with Punk" AJ said to him

"Just because you're banging the champion doesn't mean you get a free pass to be disrespectful to our talents here" Michael informed her causing her eyes to widen

"Excuse me?" AJ asked stunned

"If Punk wants you here to help him 'warm up' or such that's fine" Michael said innocently "Just try to stay in his locker room if you can't play nicely with others"

"They started it!" AJ shouted pointing at them

"Please AJ I'm not running a playground here" Michael mocked "And if you ever disrespect another member of this roster again I'll see to it that not only won't you get on TV ever again but you'll wish you were backing cutting up t-shirt"

"She wasn't that good at it anyway" Nikki chimed in. AJ glared over to Nikki

"AJ this isn't new to you. You've worked here before" Michael reminded her "And you're going to be treated as a new member of this roster whether you or your boyfriend, lover, fiancé whatever the hell he is to you this week likes it or not"

"You can't talk to me like this" AJ said firmly standing her ground surprising both women sitting their "You're not my boss and you have zero power"

"AJ I'm running this show tonight" Michael reminded her "And if you ever step out of line like that with me again the only time you're going to be on TV is when the news is relaying the coverage of Christian Scott, am I making myself clear to you Ms. Mendez?"

"Crystal" AJ remarked bitterly

"Run off now before I report you for insubordination" Michael threatened

* * *

The entire ride back to the hotel AJ was quiet. She glared out the window as Punk drove.

"What's going on babe?" Punk asked her

"Nothing" she shrugged as she watched the streetlights pass

"You've been awfully quiet" Punk noted "Did someone upset you or something?" he asked her

"No" she said quickly and he smirked. So that is what happened

"Ok" Punk said slowly "You can talk to me about anything"

"I have nothing to talk about" AJ informed him "I'm just tired"

"Are you excited for Monday still?" Punk asked

"Yea super excited" she remarked quietly

"People backstage love to talk AJ" Punk told her "You know this already because you've worked back there but now you're getting a big push and people are going to be jealous of it and now with our engagement people are really going to talk. Don't let it get to you" she didn't respond and he knew he hit the nail on the head "All that matters is that you go out there and give it your all."

"It's fine Phil" AJ said to him "I've been through worse" she reminded him

"Yea I know" Punk agreed "I just hate seeing you bought down like this"

"It's fine really" AJ assured him "Like I said I'm just tired"

* * *

Once they got back to the hotel room Punk was watching TV laying in bed when there was a harsh knock at his door. He stood up and saw Paul Heyman through the peephole and let him in.

"You learned to knock" Punk smirked "Of course you interrupted nothing this time"

"Figures you two wouldn't be going at it like rabbits since there's actually a bed here" Paul mocked "Where's AJ?"

"She's in the shower" Punk informed him "Why?"

"I want to talk to her about what happened" Paul told him "I hate that little worm Hayes and I want to give her some pointers about how to handle him. How dare he disrespect one of my people?" he ranted "He knows I bought AJ up and that's why he's being so harsh to her! He couldn't pick talent out to save his life so he has to bring down mine!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Punk asked confused

"She didn't tell you?" Paul asked Punk surprised

"Who didn't tell him what?" AJ asked stepping out of the bathroom

"What happened with Hayes tonight?" Punk asked her

"Oh it wasn't a big deal" AJ said brushing it off

"Yes it was, everyone is talking about it" Paul informed her

"Great" AJ muttered

"AJ what the hell happened?" He demanded again

"It's not a big deal" AJ told them again

"AJ you're new to the politics a bit" Paul started off with a smile "Because you're connected to Punk and myself Michael Hayes is going to target you because he simply doesn't like us." He told her "It has nothing to do with your job performance and he has no power"

"I think running to you or Phil will just get me into more trouble" AJ said to them

"You're not in trouble" Punk told her "And I want to know what happened so either you tell me now or I'll find Hayes myself and ask him"

"Nikki and Nattie were talking about me" AJ started off knowing he'd never give this up unless she told him "Nikki started saying how I made a move on John when we went to dinner and all this other crap so I confronted her about it and we got into an argument next thing I knew she slapped me across the face"

"She hit you?" Punk asked shocked "Where does she even get the nerve?" he asked annoyed

"John Cena" Paul muttered to Punk who nodded in agreement

"Anyway Hayes came over then and sided with them" AJ told him

"What did he say to you AJ?" Punk asked folding his arms

"A bunch of stuff but he told me I didn't belong there tonight, to try to stay in your locker room if you really wanted me around to 'warm you up' before matches-" AJ told them

"He actually said that?" Paul asked

"Yea and then he told me if I got out of line with him or anyone else again the only time I'd be on TV is when they're replaying Christian's news stories" she told them

"He actually said that to you?" Punk asked with a laugh but his face told a different story- he was pissed

"Don't worry about AJ that asshole has zero power" Paul assured her

"I'm not worried about it I was just embarrassed" AJ said to them "He did it in front of everyone in catering while Nikki and Nattie gloated"

"It's crossing a line" Paul informed the two of them "How dare he go after you knowing neither of us were around. He's been dying to throw is weight around with her. I'm going to call him right now-"

"I'll take care of it" Punk said cutting him off

"Or I can take care of it" AJ suggested "Because this is my job and I have to learn how to stick up for myself"

"He only did it because of Punk" Paul reminded her "He never would have approached you like that if you weren't with him"

"Like I said I'll handle it tomorrow night" Punk told him "Thanks for dropping by Paul"

"Can't I say something to him? Or can I at least be there when you speak to him?" Paul asked hopefully. He hated Hayes and knew Punk would tear him apart.

"We'll see" Punk said walking Paul out of the room and closing the door

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me" AJ told him "You've done it enough"

"I know the people back here AJ and I know why he said what he said and I'll handle it" Punk told her "I'm the champion and whether you work there or not it doesn't give him a free pass to be disrespectful to the woman I plan on marrying"

"He doesn't care if you're 'banging' me" she said using air quotes "His words not mine"

"Of course they were" Punk muttered

"You know I never tried anything with John right?" AJ asked

"Yes AJ" Punk said to her honestly "His girlfriend is jealous of you not only getting a push but getting to work an angle with him. I know how people think backstage and I also know what's bullshit and what's not"

"If you really push this thing with Hayes though-" AJ started then stopped "Never mind"

"Tell me" He encouraged

"He said I'd end up cutting up t-shirts again or worse" AJ said to him and Punk just bit on his lower lip and smirked

"He's a piece of shit AJ" Punk told her seriously "With no real power and certainly doesn't have the clout to speak to you that way and he knows it"

"He was running the show tonight" AJ reminded him and he let out a laugh

"No he wasn't" Punk said still laughing "He is such- I don't even want to discuss anymore because like I said I'll talk to him tomorrow about it. But next time an executive or any other employee back there tries to push you around or threaten you in any way shape or form I want you tell me"

"I didn't think it was a big deal" AJ admitted "I shouldn't have engaged with them I thought I was in the wrong"

"You were defending yourself and you also kept your hands to yourself" Punk said to her "He just wanted to make himself feel like a man but he made a huge mistake because I'm not going to let anyone use you to hype themselves like that"

* * *

The next night Punk was anxious to find Hayes. He left AJ in his locker room and searched the halls for him and found him ironically in catering. He was glad to see so many of the superstars backstage so he could give Hayes a taste of his own medicine- embarrassing him the way he did to AJ the previous night.

"Hayes!" Punk shouted causing the man to turn around slowly

"Something on your mind Punk?" Hayes asked annoyed holding a cup of coffee and Punk quickly slapped it out of hand "Really Punk?" he mocked

"Where do you get the balls to speak to AJ like that?" Punk demanded

"I knew this was coming" Michael snorted a laugh

"You think it's funny?" he asked squinting his eyes at the man "You think I'm going to let you disrespect her?"

"I'm sure you're going by just her side of the story" Michael said to him "She started a fight back here and it was-"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Punk shouted "You hate me and know you can't touch me so you attack AJ? You're a special kind of asshole aren't you?"

"I was doing my job" Michael spat at him

"You were being a bully!" Punk yelled back

"I was being the boss!" Hayes yelled back

"You're not a boss!" Punk shouted back "You're a lackey, a nobody and you never will be a somebody. You're at the bottom of the barrel and AJ is to new to know that but I'm not. And if it was so professional why didn't you pull her aside? Why did you disrespect her in front of everyone and I really want to know what you were thinking when you mentioned she was '_banging_' me?"

"Is she not?" Hayes questioned with a grin and with that Punk took a step forward towards the man

"Chill out Punk" Paul Heyman insisted walking over to them and placing his hand on Punk's chest "He's not worth the fine or suspension"

"Don't claim to be a professional then talk about her sex life" Punk said to him "It's not your business- or anyone of your business for that matter!" he shouted looking around at all the people looking at him

"Punk makes a valid point" Paul said to Hayes calmly "It could be considered sexual harassment"

"You know all about that don't you Hayes?" Punk mocked "You have a few complaints from females in your official file already don't you?"

"Don't make something out of this that isn't there" Hayes warned

"Oh kind of like what you did last night?" Punk mocked "I want you to apologize to AJ and then I want you to steer clear of her" he warned "Because whether you like it or not she is with me and I believe me I have a hell of a lot more power back here then you do"

"You're overreacting" Hayes said to him "But fine I'll apologize to her"

"If I ever hear anything like this again you and I are going to have a huge problem and try to remember the last man I had run in with over AJ ended up in a hospital bed for a week" Punk threatened "Am I make _myself_ clear?" he questioned purposely quoting Hayes himself from last night

"Sure" Michael responded bitterly as he watched Punk storm out of catering glaring towards Nikki and Nattie on the way out. Michael turned and saw Paul was still standing there with a huge smile

"Wow that was embarrassing" Paul smirked to Hayes "Good thing you showed him who was boss around here"

* * *

Punk entered his locker room and saw AJ lying on the couch. As soon as he entered the room she placed her phone down and looked over to him.

"So how did that go?" AJ asked him

"Just the way I though it would" Punk informed her

"You kept your cool right?" AJ asked

"Baby I'm always cool" Punk remarked causing her to roll her eyes and giggle "We had a very quiet and professional conversation and I think I got my point across"

"I bet" she smirked

"He realized he was wrong" Punk shrugged simply "He'll be apologizing to you soon as a matter of fact"

"Oh really" AJ smirked "He can keep his apology I don't need it"

"Trust me you need it" Punk informed her firmly

"So I was thinking tonight we could hit the gym after the show" AJ said to him

"After?" Punk asked with a frown

"Yea I really need to work out a little bit more before tomorrow" AJ told him

"AJ you're going to kill yourself" Punk said to her "Trust me you're in shape and you're going to kick ass tomorrow"

"It's my first Raw match ever!" She said to him with wide eyes

"You'll be great" Punk said brushing off her worries

"I need to be better than great" AJ told him and he couldn't help but smirk at him "I need to be the best"

"Ok" he said with a faint smile "Whatever you want"

"Oh and I was thinking we shouldn't have sex until after my match" she told him causing him to jerk his head over to her

"What?" he asked her horrified

"It's one night" AJ pointed out

"We didn't have sex last night!" Punk reminded her

"Because you were all upset" AJ smirked "Your mind was filled with thoughts of Michael Hayes"

"Ugh" Punk groaned "Please when we're having a discussion about sex don't mention his name"

"I'm just saying" AJ said to him with a laugh "Anyway I think we'll survive for a night"

"Ok yea I agree" Punk remarked "I just don't think you'll be able to resist me for that long"

"I went six months" AJ reminded him "Six long months with not only not you but anyone for that matter I think I'll be fine"

"That is really good to know actually" Punk told her seriously "But I still don't think you'll be able to keep your hands to yourself. You've gotten to used to me"

"Oh please" AJ snorted "I can go longer than Monday night"

"Oh honey" he laughed "No you can't"

"Care to bet on it?" AJ questioned

"Sure" Punk said to her simply "What's your bet?"

"I bet you'll crack first" AJ said to him "And when I win this bet I want a massage"

"Done deal" Punk said smiling "You think I'll be suffering touching you?"

"You are a pervert" AJ smirked "If you would have let me finish I want a foot massage. One every night for the next month"

"Fine" Punk shrugged "And when I win this bet you're going to dance for me"

"Ok" she laughed "I can actually dance a little so you're lucky"

"Oh no you didn't let _me_ finish" Punk told her slowly "I want a striptease dance. Including the outfit, music, lighting, chair and stripping" he told her

"Fine" she said to him "I'm not worried though because I'm going to win"

"No I'm going to win and I'm not going to touch you in anyway until you're dancing for me so I suggest you shop or pick something up"

"Do strippers even where anything?" she asked him

"Good point" Punk agreed "Get creative" he said simply

"I won't have to worry about that but ok. Shake on it?" she asked sitting up extending her petite hand to him. He walked over to her and shook her hand. He ran his thumb slowly over her hand. "You're going to have to do better than that"

"Oh you have no idea what I have up my sleeve" Punk told her smugly "We can still kiss right?"

"Yes that's ok" she said to him "But no hands" she warned "They stay in appropriate places at all times or you automatically lose"

"I don't lose" Punk smirked backing away from her "Just remember sweetheart I'm a man and I have no problem taking care of myself" he reminded her

"Ew Phil" she mumbled

"You my prudish future wife don't let anyone touch you there but me, including yourself" Punk said to her "I have an outlet and you don't"

"I'll be fine" she shot at him realizing he was right

"Ok" he smiled "I'm going to get changed now are you ok to sit there and watch or are you going to jump all over me?"

"Wow you think highly of yourself" AJ laughed picking up her phone and began to play a game on it

"This is a dangerous little game AJ" Punk smirked pulling off his shirt "I hope you're prepared"

"Please" she muttered glancing at him from the corner of her eye and saw he was now completely naked

"Giving in already?" he asked seriously causing her to snicker before rolling over so her back was to him. "Oh and try to pick a song" he said to her seriously "Music really sets the entire mood"

"I'm not losing!" she yelled and just heard him laugh "Jerk" she muttered

"I heard that" he said to her with a laugh

* * *

**A/N: who will win? #teamaj or #teampunk ?**


	27. The Bet

**Chapter 27: The Bet**

* * *

Backstage at Raw AJ was finishing the touches on her t-shirt- well Punk's shirt but she was putting her own spin on it.

"What do you think?" AJ asked holding up the shirt to Punk who was stretching on the floor

"I think it looks like…you ripped up a perfectly good t-shirt" He said seriously causing her to shoot him a glare "I'm kidding I'm sure it will look great"

"Gee thanks" She said standing up from the floor herself "So how are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" he asked her

"The bet" AJ smirked

"Oh" he laughed lightly "I haven't given it any thought actually. Clearly you have though since you're bringing it up"

"Nope just wanted to know how much longer I have to wait until I get my foot massage" AJ smirked as she casually pulled her top off over hear head in front of him "What do you think of my new bra?" she asked and he just smirked before looking up at her

"I like it" Punk said coolly

"It kind of pinches" AJ said in an innocent voice

"Oh really?" he asked playing the part of concerned boyfriend

"Yea right here" she said running her finger over the top of her left breast

"Hmm" Punk said standing up and walking over to her. He examined the spot closely then pulled away "You should return it than" he informed her briskly before handing her the new shirt she just cut up

"Jerk" she muttered snatching the shirt from him

"It's going to take a lot more than that" Punk laughed "And I hope when you went to pick up a new bra you picked up some sexy lingerie for this hot striptease that I'm really looking forward to"

"I'm going to feel so bad when I disappoint you" AJ frowned as she slipped on the t-shirt that's when Paul walked right into the locker room

"What's up Paul?" Punk asked casually as he placed his headphones into his bag

"What's wrong?" Paul asked looking at the two of them

"What do you mean?" AJ asked seeing Paul's worried face

"You two aren't fooling around…." Paul trailed off "Are you guys fighting?"

"No" AJ said to him as Punk just rolled his eyes

"We are capable of keeping our hands to ourselves" Punk shot at him

"Right" Paul snorted "AJ you look great!" he said examining her in-ring gear.

"Thanks" she said blushing lightly

"And Punk you look- about the same" Paul smirked

"Funny" Punk grinned

"So do you need to sit down with Eve and go over anything?" Paul asked AJ

"No we ran through everything already" AJ assured him and he nodded

"Great and I'm sure you and Cena have this down pat already?" Paul questioned

"Yea but we both agreed to give a majority of our time to the girls" Punk informed him "We don't want to give too much away before the big match and besides if we don't give them the time no one else will"

"How very chivalrous of you" Paul smirked

"I'm going to go have my makeup refreshed before we go out" she said skipping to the door

"You don't need any makeup" Paul informed her

"That's very sweet but I do" AJ grinned before walking out the door

"Men are going to love her" Paul said as he watched her walk away

"Thanks Paul" Punk muttered

"I'm just saying she has this little innocent look about her but she is damn sexy at the same time" Paul told him seriously

"Stop" Punk warned

"I'm just saying" he defended with a laugh "So are you sure you two are alright?"

"We have a bet going" Punk informed him

"I'm intrigued" Paul grinned folding his arms

"No sex" Punk told him causing him to frown

"What kind of sick twisted bet is that?" Paul asked horrified

"I'm not some sort of sex-crazed maniac Paul" Punk remarked harshly

"I'm not saying that but AJ is- well hot and you live together and she's probably always skipping around in next to nothing-" Paul told him

"She thinks I'll crack first" Punk said to him

"I'd like in on this bet" Paul said to him seriously "I think you'll crack first too"

"No faith in me huh?" Punk laughed "Some friend you are"

"How much money is on the table?" Paul asked anxiously

"No money. If she wins I have to massage her feet for a month" Punk told him

"I bet she has cute little feet" Paul smirked

"Paul!" Punk warned

"Right, sorry. So what do you get?" Paul asked

"A striptease dance" Punk laughed

"I definitely want in!" Paul shouted "But now I think I'm going to have to bet against AJ…"

"You are so lucky I like you" Punk said to him

* * *

Punk and AJ headed out for the main-event mixed tag-team match. Not too shabby for a girl who hadn't wrestled on live TV before but AJ certainly wowed the crowd. She was pro and her and Eve worked great together. Punk knew AJ was good but he was blown away by how smoothly she moved around the ring and she played the heel role so well. AJ picked up the win for the match and the only issue she had was a small wardrobe malfunction when her shirt lifted over her chest but instead of being mortified and trying to cover herself like most of the women would have done she simply licked her hand as if she was kitten playing with a toy, locked eyes with Punk and tugged her shirt back down slowly. Punk who knew exactly what she was doing.

"You're going to lose" Paul whispered to Punk from outside the ring.

"AJ" Michael Hayes said approaching her after the match, he extended his hand to her and she accepted "Great match and I apologize for my actions over the weekend"

"Apology accepted" AJ said to him as Punk came up behind her

"Punk" Michael smirked before walking away

"Finally get your apology?" Punk asked

"Yea" AJ said to him "So seriously how did I do?"

"You were amazing" Punk told her honestly

"Yea?" AJ asked excitedly

"Yes!" Punk confirmed with a laugh "But you should be a little careful when you cut up your shirts" he said tugging on the shirt lightly

"Oh that wasn't a big deal" AJ said brushing it off "Women wrestle in their bras"

"Right" Punk said to her "But still it could be a little distracting"

"Distracting to you?" AJ asked

"Um yes" Punk said honestly "And probably to John"

"AJ" Hunter said walking over to her and shook her hand "Fantastic job tonight"

"Thank you so much" AJ said to him

"We're going to start including you in house show matches as soon as the new cycle starts up and getting you some matches on SmackDown. Vince loved you" Hunter told him

"Great" AJ said with a broad smile "Oh I'm sorry about my shirt-"

"You handled it well" Hunter assured her "Besides most of the girls wrestle like that" he laughed earning a glare from Punk "What?" he asked him

"That's what I said" AJ said to him

"Not only can you wrestle but you can certainly work the camera. You keep this up AJ and you're going to be going for that Diva's title before you know it" Hunter told her then walked away

"Did you hear that?" She asked Punk. She could barely contain her excitement

"Yes I did and he's right" Punk smirked "Now that you've had your first match can we skip the gym tonight?" he asked her "I really just want to sleep"

"Ok" she said to him

* * *

Once Punk and AJ got to their hotel room they were both tired. AJ was already in bed when she watched as Punk emerged from the bathroom and just a pair of boxers. She quietly groaned- he wasn't going to make this easy for her. She was surprised when she saw him slip off his boxers and crawl under the covers next to her

"What are you doing? Are you forfeiting?" she asked with a proud smile

"Not at all" Punk said to her closing his eyes "I just don't like to sleep in anything, you know this about me already"

"You're going to sleep naked?" she asked him and he just nodded his head "I think this is cheating"

"No it isn't" he smirked opening his eyes to look at her "And if anything you cheated by licking yourself in the middle of the ring with your top rolled up"

"I was still clothed!" She defended

"Right" he smirked closing his eyes again. AJ smiled to herself as she wrapped her leg around his waist and tugged herself as close as possible to his body and that caused him to open his eyes abruptly. "AJ" he warned

"We can hold each other while we sleep" She defended lightly as she pressed her lower half into his and she could feel she was already starting to get a reaction from him. "I'll behave"

"You're way past that already" Punk scolded lightly as she curled into him even further earning a groan from him

"Goodnight baby" she whispered closing her eyes as she felt his arms wrap around her "I love you"

"Love you too" he choked out as he looked down and saw his devilish girlfriend smiling as she drifted off into sleep. She would slightly move her body against his and with each movement he bit on his lower lip "Babe?" he asked her

"Yes?" she asked with her eyes still closed as she rested against his chest

"Are not wearing a bra?" Punk asked as felt her chest against himself

"Nope. I told you it was bothering me" she said snuggling in again "It just kept pinching me over and over…." She trailed off casually "I just needed a little breather. I mean its ok right? Because you don't have any pants on so we're even, right?"

"Right" he agreed with a stone face

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived back in Chicago on Wednesday morning and both were still holding their ground but were having a lot of fun egging each other on. To make sure he kept himself busy he made sure to invite Colt and Cliff over so they could have a guy's night.

"So where is AJ?" Cliff asked Punk as they were watching the ball game on his huge TV

"She's shopping" Punk said to him keeping his eyes locked on the TV

"What's wrong with you?" Colt asked "Why are you so crabby?"

"Yea?" Cliff asked agreeing with Colt

"Nothing" Punk told them a little bit more harshly then he wanted to

"Having second thoughts about proposing? I knew you would" Cliff said to him earning a scary glare from Punk

"No not at all" Punk said to him as Cliff just laughed nervously

"What is your problem seriously?" Colt asked "You're a millionaire who lives in this huge house, you have a smoking fiancée, you have your dream job- what the hell is making you so angry?

"Yea you're acting like you haven't been laid in weeks" Cliff added with a grin then saw Punk's face and his eyes widened "You haven't gotten laid!" he said triumphantly

"Why?" Colt asked him "You've always said you and AJ have a very active sex life"

"We do" Punk said to him "But I bet her I could longer without then she could and I'm not losing"

"Just suck it up and let her win" Cliff said to him "This is cruel and you're miserable so get over it"

"I'm not going to let her win" Punk informed them smugly

"By the way I caught your match with her" Colt said "She was damn good"

"She was" Punk said proudly "But now everyone is starting with their bullshit backstage"

"Took long enough" Colt smirked "Who is it this time?"

"Hayes" Punk remarked bitterly "He completely humiliated her in catering while I was out wrestling"

"He's such a douche" Cliff said to them "Did you take care of it?"

"Of course I did" Punk said smugly "I'm not going to let him walk all over her"

"You have to understand the concern though" Colt said to him "She shows up out of nowhere practically and now she's in the main-event of Raw"

"It wasn't out of nowhere" Punk reminded him "She trained and was in FCW for months. And you saw her she's good"

"Hey I'm not disagreeing I'm just saying I can see why people are giving her a hard time" Colt told him "It's only going to get worse"

"Yea I know but I'll be there" Punk shrugged simply "I'm not worried about it" as he said that the front door swung open and AJ walked in holding bags. "For someone who doesn't like to shop you sure spent a lot of time shopping"

"I didn't just shop" AJ defended "I met up with your sisters and went shopping with them"

"Oh really" Punk said surprised

"Yea, why are you so surprised? I love your sisters" AJ said to him as she placed some of her bags down

"What did you get?" Cliff asked anxiously rubbing his hands together

"Some new shorts since I'll be wrestling a lot more" AJ told him "And your sisters made me get this" she said pulling a small black dress. Punk did a double take at the dress she was holding up "It's not really me but Chaleen insisted" she said to him

"When are you ever going to wear that?" Punk asked eyeing the small dress

"Tonight" AJ said in a happy voice

"What's tonight?" Punk asked

"Oh I'm going out with your sisters and a few of their friends" AJ informed him

"Really?" Punk asked suspiciously "Where to?"

"Some club" she shrugged "I really miss having girlfriends. It's nice to have some females in my life to bond with"

"How come I wasn't invited?" Punk asked her "They didn't call me"

"Because it's a girl night, you know it's a lot like the guys night you're having" AJ told him gesturing to the three of them

"Can I come?" Cliff asked seriously

"Girls only" AJ pouted towards Cliff who just frowned

"Damn" he muttered snapping his fingers

"What else do you have there?" Punk asked her nodding towards the bag

"Nothing for you" AJ smirked picking up her bags

"Are you sure?" Punk grinned "You didn't pick anything up that might intrigue me?"

"Nope" she said simply "But your sisters also made me buy heels so you know my feet are going to hurt at the end of the night…I'm probably going to need a foot massage"

"I suggest you wear your chucks than" Punk told her simply "I'm pretty tired tonight, I could sleep all night as a matter of fact"

"If you want I can stop by-" Cliff started but felt a hard punch hit his arm "Kidding! I was kidding!" Cliff defended quickly "Shit" he muttered rubbing his arm

"I'm going to go upstairs and get ready" AJ said skipping up the stairs

"Damn even your sisters are against you" Colt laughed

"Women" Punk remarked bitterly turning to face the TV.

* * *

A half hour later AJ walked down the stairs in her short low cut black cocktail dress and black pumps. Her hair was down but slightly wavy.

"Damn" Cliff whistled causing Punk to turn around and see his fiancée.

"Do I look ok?" AJ asked spinning around once

"I normally wouldn't comment out of respect for Punk but you look hot" Colt told her seriously and Cliff nodded "Look you left Cliff speechless" he said with a laugh glancing over to Cliff

"Thanks guys" AJ said to them "Phil?" she asked

"You look good" he said casually turning around again to look at the TV "Close your mouth and stop drooling or I'll close your mouth for you" he threatened Cliff then yanked him by the collar of his shirt so he wouldn't look at AJ

"You're really not even going to walk me to my car?" AJ asked Punk and before he could respond Cliff stood up but Punk yanked him back down

"I'll do it" Colt offered surprising Punk

"Really?" Punk asked him

"Dude look at her" Colt defended

"Sit down" Punk spat standing up and walking over to AJ. "Which club are you going to?"

"I really don't know" AJ admitted "Your sister just texted me the address" she said passing him her phone

"I know where it is" he said passing it back to her and opened the front door for her "Could you have picked a shorter dress?" he asked her as he helped her down the steps so she wouldn't fall over in her heels that he knew she hated wearing

"I didn't pick this" AJ defended leaning against the driver's side door

"In all seriousness I'm glad you're spending time with my sisters" Punk said to her "It means a lot to me that you're making an effort with them"

"They're great" AJ said seriously "And besides they'll be my sisters soon anyway"

"Please be careful tonight" he said leaning in and gently capturing her lips

"K" she smiled holding onto his hands

"And if you need a ride or anything just call me" Punk told her "My sisters can get a little wild"

"I'll be fine" AJ laughed "Remember what I said about my feet" he smirked as he looked down at her small feet in the large heels

"You're going to be falling all over the place" Punk grinned "you can't even walk in just socks"

"I know" AJ laughed

"At least I don't have to worry about you dancing with any other men" he teased

"The only man I want to dance with is you" AJ smirked kissing him again

"Did you just say you want dance for me?" Punk asked arching a brow as she unlocked her car door and he opened it for her

"In your dreams" AJ laughed

"You have no idea" Punk said seriously causing her to laugh as she started up the car

Later that night Punk was sleeping when he heard his bedroom door open. He picked up his head and saw AJ tiptoe into the room.

"Have fun?" Punk asked as she placed her shoes onto the floor

"Yes I had a blast actually" she smiled

"How's your feet?" he smirked

"They could really use a rubdown" she said with a smile

"Keep dreaming" he laughed

"I need you to unzip me" AJ said to him causing him to laugh lightly to himself. He just ignored her and stayed in bed. "You're not really going to make me suffer are you?" she asked stomping her foot lightly

"Fine" Punk said slowly getting out of the bed and walking over to her. He slowly unzipped the dress for her and placed a kiss at the nape of her neck

"I've really missed you" AJ said turning around to face him

"We were only apart a few hours" Punk said to her

"That's not what I meant" she said slipping out of the dress and letting it pool around her feet. "I'll tell you what" she smiled wrapping her arms around his waist "You forfeit now and I'll cut the massages down to two weeks"

"Someone is getting really desperate" he smirked leaning down to kiss her sweetly but the sweet kiss grew more intense as he felt AJ's tongue seeking access into his own mouth which he accepted without hesitation.

"I'm just trying to make this easy for you" AJ replied innocently as she placed his hand over his boxers and began to rub him through the material "This is just silly now."

"Babe" Punk whispered getting lost in her touch "If you want this to end you know what you have to do" he whispered into her ear "Just forfeit and I'll take care of you real good tonight" he said gliding his hand over her flat stomach and tugging lightly on her small thong. "You want me" he reminded her as he pulled her hand away and crashed his hips into hers and even though they were both clothed down there she felt herself start to get hot...red hot.

"You forfeit!" she said pulling away quickly

"I'm fine" Punk smiled smugly

"Really?" she asked tilting her head nodding towards his large bulge

"Technically I could disqualify you for cheating" Punk warned "But I'll let slide because I enjoyed it"

"Ugh!" She moaned stomping over to the bed

"Just say the words AJ" Punk said with a laugh

"Never" She said folding her arms "Have fun with that" she said nodding towards him again

"I'll be in the bathroom if you need me" Punk remarked arrogantly

"Ew Phil!" she yelled as he walked towards the bathroom and tossed a pillow at him as he laughed

* * *

Christian Scott was sitting in the back of an SUV when someone got into the backseat with him.

"What do you have?" Christian asked the man

"They're engaged" Jack told him passing him a photo "That's her wrestling the other night with the ring on"

"I guess it's not just a cheap story plug?" Christian asked annoyed

"No I'm afraid not" Jack told him "Tonight she was out with his sisters" he said passing him a photo of AJ in the club

"Look at her" Christian said admiring the photo of AJ smiling "She looks beautiful"

"Yes sir" Jack agreed

"I need to see her again" Christian insisted

"We're working on it" Jack assured him

"I can't let her marry him" Christian said sadly and was almost bought to tears "I need her"

"I know Mr. Scott" Jack frowned "But as for right now we've hired some company for you"

"I don't want anyone but her" Christian said disgusted

"I think you'll like her" Jack said to him and Christian caught on and nodded "Just try to be gentle with this one" he said to him opening the car door and stepping out.

"Mr. Scott?" a small Puerto Rican woman asked crawling into the backseat. She had long flowing black hair and was very similar to AJ. "I'm Je-"

"April" he said cutting her off "That's what I'm going to call you"

"For what you're paying me you can call me anything you want" the woman grinned


	28. Game Over

**Chapter 28: Game Over**

* * *

AJ was in the very spacious bath of the master bathroom. Her mood was becoming worse and worse as the hours passed by. She watched as Punk stepped out of the shower across the room and shot him a nasty glare.

"What?" Punk questioned with a smirk. He knew why she was upset and now he was just having too much fun with all of this

"Nothing" AJ remarked "My feet hurt" she told him coldly sticking them out of the tub filled with bubbles

"I told you not to wear those heels" Punk teased grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. He walked over to the bathtub and lifted her foot with ease "They look fine" he smirked

"Well they feel terrible" AJ groaned "They could use a massage" she said with a sly smile

"I'm sure" He smirked "I'll tell you what, after you dance I'll rub your feet down- deal?"

"No deal" she huffed causing him to smile towards her

"Ok" he said to her "I admire your will power. You've lasted longer than I thought"

"I could last forever" AJ retorted smugly

"Sure" He chuckled lowering his face down and kissing her foot lightly

"Phil" She warned

"I'm behaving. Your foot isn't inappropriate" Punk pointed out as he left gentle kisses around her foot then reached forward so he could take her big toe into his mouth and lightly sucked on it for a moment

"Phil!" she yelled jerking her foot away and placing it back in the tub

"Sorry honey" Punk smirked standing up and walking out of the bathroom

"Jerk" she muttered. But now here she was soaking in a hot tub and was more hot and bothered than before. She peeked to make sure Phil was out of the bathroom before she moved her hand in-between her thighs. "I can't believe I'm going to do this" she muttered to herself and closed her eyes as she leaned further back into the tub. She let out a soft moan and that's when the bathroom door swung open again causing her to remove her hand.

"What were you doing?" Punk asked with a smirk

"Nothing" AJ defended trying to hide her smile

"Oh no don't tell me you were-" Punk started off

"I did nothing!" she warned pointing at him

"I thought I heard you-" he started again but she cut him off

"You heard nothing!" she yelled

"Ok, ok" he laughed unwrapping his towel leaving himself completely bare in front of her.

"Get out" she warned bitterly. He just laughed and placed the wet towel in the hamper

"You don't want me to help you dry off first?" he asked innocently

"Out!" She yelled pointing to the door

"Do you want me to leave the door open or close so you could have some privacy with….well yourself" he teased

"Ugh!" she yelled grabbing a bottle of shampoo and tossing it at him

* * *

AJ was inside while Punk, Colt and Cliff were on the roof working on their new barbeque. She quickly got changed and headed to the roof that also had the hot tub on it….

"Hello there" Colt smiled as AJ stepped onto the roof.

"Dude look" Cliff said slapping Punk's arm so he'd look up at AJ

"AJ" he said forcing a smile "What are you doing?" she only had a towel wrapped her around her body

"I'm going to sit in the hot tub for a little bit" she said to him innocently as she unwrapped the towel from her body and was now sporting a small strapless bikini.

"It's a little hot for the hot tub, no?" Punk questioned as he watched her lean over to turn it on

"No" AJ laughed "I'll be all nice and cold once I get back inside the house and I mean I'm already hot now so what's the difference if I'm…. wet?"

"Jesus" Cliff muttered as he watched AJ carefully step into the hot tub

"Enjoy" Punk said forcefully

"How long is this going to go on for?" Colt asked Punk with a laugh

"Oh man" Cliff said swallowing a lump in his throat "Just rub her feet, rub her back- what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm winning" Punk informed him "And pay attention to this" he said pointing to the barbeque "You can't let her know we're paying attention to her"

"But-" Cliff started as his eyes wandered over to AJ as happily shrank into the hot tub "-she's all-"

"Damn it Cliff!" Punk yelled

"Everything ok?" AJ asked from the hot tub

"Fine dear" Punk gritted out

* * *

AJ headed downstairs to look for Punk. They had dinner reservations with a few friends of his and they were already running late but he really wanted to hit the gym.

"Hey Phil if you don't-" AJ stopped when she saw Punk was shirtless in the gym and wiping himself down. He was glistening in sweat and she was sure her jaw hit the floor

"You ok?" he asked innocently as he ran the towel over his lower stomach and brushing against his hip dents….hip dents she loved very much

"We're going to have to get ready soon" AJ said looking up at the ceiling nervously

"Oh I forgot to tell you they cancelled" Punk frowned "My bad"

"That's fine" AJ said to him "We can just order in or something" she said as he walked over to her

"Are you sure?" he asked invading her personal space

"Yup" she said simply forcing a smile

"What's wrong do I smell?" he smirked at her

"Yes actually you do" AJ said to him with a laugh "Go clean yourself up"

"I still have a little more working out to do" Punk told her "But I got this cramp in my thigh over here" he said rubbing the spot

"Oh" she said now mildly concerned looking down at his leg

"Here" he said grabbing her hand and rubbing it against his thigh "Do you feel that knot?" he asked her seriously as he kept his hands over hers

"Not really" she admitted

"Here a little higher" he said lifting her hand up closer

"Stop!" she said pulling away

"What?" he asked with a laugh

"You are so mean" AJ spat

"I had a cramp" Punk defended holding his hands him in surrender

"I'm going to go pick up dinner" AJ said turning to leave the room

"Wait you didn't tell me what you're getting" Punk said to her

"We're getting what I want to get because you are a jerk!" she yelled slamming the door and Punk couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.

* * *

Punk headed upstairs forty minutes later and was surprised to see the kitchen lights dimmed.

"Babe?" Punk asked looking around seeing the takeout food laid out perfectly on the table. He headed up the stairs and saw the lights were also dimmed in their bedroom but what really caught his attention was the chair in the middle of the large room. The windows let the moon shine in perfectly and he knew what was happening. "Oh AJ" he yelled in a teasing voice

"Hello" she said leaning against the bathroom door in a short black silk robe, twirling the belt slightly "I forfeit"

"Thank jeebus" he said seriously with a sigh of relief. Thankfully his shirt was already off and was ready to go. He made a move towards her but she pointed to the chair

"Chair" she said pointing

"We can do that after" Punk said to her "Right now I need you"

"Chair" she repeated firmly and he obliged and took a seat. Her hair was down and the robe showed off most of her tanned smooth legs.

"Quickly" Punk said eagerly

"You need to be patient" AJ scolded lightly with a sly grin "You wanted this" she reminded him

"I didn't say anything about this taking a lot of time" Punk reminded her as she pulled out a pair of handcuffs "Oh my god…I've created a monster" he muttered in awe of his fiancée.

"You have no one to blame but yourself" AJ smirked

"I don't need those" Punk told her nervously "The dance will be fine-"

"Rules of stripping is that you can't touch the girls. I can't have you getting all touchy" she smirked cuffing his hands together behind the chair

"You have the key for these right?" he asked feeling how tight the cuffs were

"Yea sure don't worry" she told him casually. She walked over to the end table and hit the radio on so some music played. Punk eyed her carefully as she stepped in front of him. She slowly untied the robe and carefully pulled it off of her body. Punk was pretty sure his heart stopped beating. She was wearing a sexy little lacy red corset, with matching panties.

"Damn" he muttered eyeing her "Take them off"

"I have to dance first" AJ giggled

"No I mean my cuffs" he said in a serious voice "AJ-"

"Oh no, no" AJ said placing her finger over his mouth "You have been torturing me for days and now it's payback time"

"AJ" Punk said in a serious voice "I will break out of these right now"

"Do I have to gag you too?" she asked with a frown "I was kind of looking forward to hearing you" she whispered seductively into his ear. As the music played AJ began a sexy little dance but his eyes were on her and not the dance. She moved over to him and began to straddle his lap in a standing position. As she moved her hips up and down she was careful to make sure not to touch any part of his body. As she danced against him her chest would be lifted within inches of his face and he was start to get frustrated.

"Babe" he whispered "I'm sorry" he said looking up at her with wide eyes

"It means a lot to me that you said that" She said with a smile as she now sat on him perfectly

"I was wrong" he said seriously as she now began to thrust her hips against his pelvis roughly "Jesus babe" he muttered "I'll rub your feet for six months just let me go"

"Hmm" she hummed sweetly as she started to kiss his neck but her hips kept moving. The friction she was getting from his shorts were torturing her as well but she had to stay strong even though she felt herself starting to get more and more wet against him. She placed her hands on the side of his shoulders as she continued to torture him and herself for that matter.

"Babe this isn't stripping" Punk informed her as he struggled with his cuffs "This is dry-sex and it's not fair"

"I guess I've been doing it wrong all these years" she teased causing him to glare at her "I'm kidding" she smirked kissing his cheek and then moved over to his mouth and his immediately opened and wrestled her tongue. The kiss was sloppy and ugly but felt so good to them.

"You're going to blow before I do" Punk whispered against her cheek, the only place he could really reach "You're already soaking for me. I can feel you" he informed her and she pulled her face away slightly "Come on now" he encouraged "Let me taste you" he said in a low voice that just made AJ's stomach tighten even more

"You want to…taste me?" she asked him confused

"AJ" he warned with a huff

"Ok I'm going to give you a taste" she said to him seriously and he felt himself fill with relief but she never moved off of him

"Babe the key is over there" he said eyeing the key from the side table

"I said I'd give you a taste not let you go" she smirked as she eased her down under her own panties. She let out a soft moan and moved her own hand against herself, something Punk said she would never do.

"Oh fuck" he muttered keeping his eyes locked on her and watched as she pulled her hand out

"Still want?" she asked dangling a finger in front of him. She ran her finger over his lips and his mouth was already opened

"Yes" he said as she placed her finger into his mouth and he happily lapped up her juices on it and sucked on it lightly. She slowly withdrew her finger from his mouth and he was not pleased. "That was so fucking hot" he admitted causing her to let out a laugh "I'm really going to have a messy situation in my shorts unless you un-cuff me" he told her seriously

"You're hot" she said kissing his mouth and began to move her hips against his again

"Please babe" Punk said pulling away "I'm in a lot of pain" he knew saying that would work to his advantage.

"Where does it hurt?" she mocked

"You know where" he said to her "Just un-cuff me and it will be all better" AJ just stood up from him and tugged down his shorts and boxers.

"Someone missed me" AJ smirked but Punk didn't find this to be amusing

"This isn't stripping" Punk reminded her coldly "This is abuse" she leaned down and lightly kissed the head of his member before walking over to the nightstand and picking up the key.

"Fine you big baby" she smirked "I didn't even get to finish my dance" she muttered walking behind him and un-cuffing him from the chair. In a flash he was to his feet and grabbed AJ up with east

"You are going to pay for that" Punk warned pushing her lightly against the wall and she wrapped her legs around his waist tightly as she hit the door. "That was so cruel…."

"You deserved it." AJ said as she felt his hand press against her panties and started to palm her through her panties "You're just not used….to a worthy….advisory"

"You were so hot" he said against her neck as he lightly sucked on her skin leaving a bite mark he knew would show up.

"Ok enough games" She said to him as he pushed her panties to the side and placed two fingers in her, it was his turn to torture her.

"No more games" Punk agreed "….after this one"

"Oh Phil" she moaned as his fingers moved insanely fast in and out of her

"I loved your dance" he whispered against her lips before kissing them " I loved your payback" he said kissing her again "You surprise me everyday" he said before kissing her again but she jerked away

"Oh god Phil I'm-" AJ started feeling herself right at the edge and he quickly moved away from the door and dropped her onto the bed and withdrawing his fingers from her. She was ready to scream in anger for him not finishing her off but the next thing she felt was him ripping her brand new thong off of her and his hard member enter her causing her to immediately climax around him. He didn't move at first, he waited for her to ride off her waves of pleasure. He couldn't help but smile proudly upon hearing her screams of pleasure.

"That's it baby" he encouraged her and then began to move in and out of her quickly and he was already so close and he knew it. AJ didn't leave him much time to enjoy this.

"Baby you are so good" AJ said to him and that shot his ego up even more. He loved that about her, she wanted him to know how great he was.

"You're…." He started looking down at her and noticed she was still in her sexy lingerie "….perfect" her hair was sprawled out over the bed and her eyes were closed tightly as she took in every inch he offered her. He used his entire lower half to fully thrust into her as hard as he possibly could without hurting her. One more thrust later and she exploded around him and a second later he joined her. He peppered her face with kissed as her screams of pleasure died down. He remained inside of her while doing this.

"Are you ok baby?" he asked against her cheek before kissing it again "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"God no" she said with a satisfied smiled "You bought me to a whole other level"

"My girl" he grinned then pulled out of her and rolled onto his back so both were looking up at the ceiling catching their breaths

"Let's not bet on sex again" Punk suggested

"I don't know….if this is how we end up every time I think we should abstain from sex more often" she replied innocently smiling over to him but when she met his face it was un-amused and clearly wasn't going to go along with this. "We have to eat" she said trying to sit up but fell back against the bed

"What's wrong babe?" he teased knowing he had completely warn her out

"I can't even really move" she smiled happily

"Good" Punk said to her "Because you're not leaving this bed"

"But I'm hungry" AJ pouted

"I'll bring dinner up soon" Punk told her as he stood up and pulled down the covers but AJ wouldn't move "Come on" he said with a laugh picking her up bridal style and placing her under the covers before climbing in himself he removed the corset she had on

"Much better" AJ grinned feeling better already as Punk crawled in next to her

"I agree" he said to her seriously and leaned in to kiss her

* * *

Christian walked out of his bedroom and headed into the living room of his beach house.

"Are you finished sir?" Jack questioned

"Yea I'm done with her" Christian informed him lighting a cigar and puffing away on it

"Is she still…." Jack trailed off

"Yea for now" Christian said to him

"What do you want me to do?" Jack asked

"Give her a few hundred, she won't talk but she'll need help out" Christian told him and Jack just nodded and headed into the master bedroom. He found the hooker who resembled AJ naked in the corner of the room holding her knees to her chest.

"It's time to go" He told her

"I can't even move" she whispered in pain. She was cut up and bruised "He wouldn't stop- he just kept going I begged him to stop" she sobbed "he burnt me with his cigar and hit me-"

"You knew what you were signing up for" Jack told her coldly

"What is wrong with him?" she asked helplessly

"If you don't get up now and leave you won't live to see tomorrow" he told her coldly ignoring her question.

"He took my clothes" she said slowly getting up and Jack opened a drawer and took out a sweatshirt, sweatpants and a pair of socks

"Don't come back here again and if you talk to anyone about this I'll find you and kill you" Jack told her

"He kept me calling me April" she told him "My name is Carrie"

"Get out" Jack told her in a firmer effectively scaring her. She grabbed the clothes and raced out the backdoor of the beach house.

"I need to go back" Christian said entering the room

"I still can't work it out" Jack told him

"Damn it Jack make it work!" Christian shouted

"How about we just bring her here for you?" Jack suggested

"We can do that" Christian smiled

"Yes we can" Jack said smiling back "Just say the word-"

"Bring her to me" Christian demanded with a twisted smiled on his face


	29. Two Morons

**Chapter 29: Two Morons**

* * *

AJ woke up the next morning and she was physically spent. She glanced around the room and it was a mess. Clothes everywhere, dirty dishes from the dinner they ate up their last night and she was physically and mentally spent but completely satisfied. She rolled over to face Punk who was sleeping soundly and kissed his nose lightly. He smiled before opening his eyes.

"Good morning" he whispered

"Morning" she said happily "Ready to start the day?"

"Not even close" Punk admitted "I want to lay here with you all day and ravish you"

"That is very tempting" AJ smirked

"Yes I knew you would find it appealing since you've admitted you can't resist me" Punk smiled lightly

"I remember it was you begging for me last night. You won the battle but I won the war" AJ told him smugly

"You were so…." Punk trailed off trying to find the words

"Come on boost my ego for a change" AJ encouraged

"…hot, sexy, beautiful, delicious…" he trailed off

"I've been called a lot of names in my life, delicious has never been one" she smirked

"Then people haven't fully tasted you properly" he said seriously causing her to roll her eyes and roll out of the bed. "Where are you going?" he asked disappointed

"I need a bath because my muscles are aching" she said to him "That's your fault by the way"

"I'd apologize but that would mean I regret it" Punk said to her "So I'm not going to"

"You can help make it up to me" She said walking to his side of the bed and grabbing him by the hand in an attempt to tug him out of the bed "Take a bath with me"

"Take a bath with you?" Punk snorted "I don't take baths" she just scrunched her face at him and pouted and he knew he was powerless "Fine" he muttered "No girly bubbles"

"They're the best part" AJ said leading him into the bathroom.

* * *

AJ was lying in the tub and opposite of her near her feet was Punk who was seemingly enjoying the bath.

"I knew you'd like it" AJ teased as she watched Punk massage one of her feet, just as he promised "You're so good at that" she said to him

"Yea I'm a real expert" Punk smirked kissing her foot lightly before continuing to rub them "They are freakishly tiny"

"They are not" AJ said splashing him with water

"I could put your entire foot into my mouth if I wanted to" Punk said to her seriously "Tiny" he said holding up her foot so she would see

"Stop playing with my feet and just make them feel better" AJ warned with a grin

"Yea, yea" He muttered "So you never told me how your night went at the club"

"It was a lot of fun" She shrugged "Your sisters are awesome"

"That they are" he agreed as he moved on to her other foot now. "Did you dance?"

"In those heels?" AJ laughed "Just a little"

"Stupid heels hurting your poor baby feet" Punk scolded lightly "So anymore girls nights in your future?"

"I'm actually going to be going shopping with them next week" AJ informed him

"Cute. You see my sisters more than I do and soon they'll start seeing you more than I do" Punk said to her "And what could you possibly be shopping for now?"

"They actually want me to look at wedding dresses" she said surprising him but it didn't seem to bother him at all "I know we haven't picked a date out or anything but they're really excited"

"We should pick a date" Punk said to her "Just so we know we can get the time off"

"Maybe we can look through the calendar today?" she suggested quietly

"Sure" he smiled

"And as for seeing your sisters you're going to be having dinner with us next week after we shop" she told him

"Oh now nice I get included on your girls day" he mocked

"It's not just a girls dinner. Chaleen wants you to meet her new boyfriend" She told Punk who scrunched up his face

"What new boyfriend?" Punk asked "How long has she been with him? How-"

"She was right you are totally crazy" AJ laughed

"I'm not crazy I'm protective" Punk corrected

"He's very nice and a complete gentleman" AJ said to him

"Oh really? You've met him?" Punk asked her and she nodded

"He came to the club with us" AJ informed him

"Why did he get to go and I couldn't?" Punk questioned

"Because apparently you don't behave when you're in that kind of environment with your sisters" AJ smirked

"Are they really still talking about that?" Punk asked annoyed "One time! I got into one fight! Sorry I'm not going to just sit around and let some guy put his disgusting hands all over my little sister" she just laughed at how angry he got.

"I heard the entire story and your sister was dancing with him, you're supposed to touch when you dance" AJ reminded him

"Not like that" Punk shot at her "It was a club not a rappers music video"

"I'm so glad you didn't come the other night" AJ laughed lightly

"Why? Was someone hitting on one of my sisters?" Punk asked "Was someone hitting on you?"

"No Phil. I know it's hard to believe but not everyone falls all over themselves for me" AJ said to him

"Please" He muttered "If they don't than they're blind"

"There was one guy there" AJ started off "He was strange and I swear he was watching me the entire night"

"Did he talk to you?" Punk asked

"No he didn't even try to approach me but when I walked off to the bathroom apparently he followed in my direction but Kirk got in his face and told him to leave" AJ said to him

"Who the hell is Kirk?" Punk asked

"The new boyfriend!" she laughed

"What kind of fucking name is that?" Punk mocked "And what did he say to the guy?"

"He said he knew he was watching us from across the club and told him to leave before there was a problem" AJ said to him

"So he's a tough guy" Punk mocked

"He's protective of your sister" AJ shot at him "Something you should understand and respect"

"Whatever" he muttered dropping her foot back into the water

"Hey" she pouted

"I'm hurt too" Punk pointed out holding up his wrist showing the faint marks left from the handcuffs last night

"Oh no" she said with a frown "Sorry" but when she apologized she smiled wide

"Yea you look real sorry" Punk said to her

"It's not that bad" AJ said waving it off "You're a big boy"

"And I'm the mean one" Punk snickered

"I think you loved it last night" AJ said to him

"I did" Punk said to her seriously "No one has ever had me at the tip of their fingers like you did"

"I find that hard to believe" AJ said to him

"Oh it's true. Do you really think I would have trusted any of those crazy women I dated before to handcuff me?" Punk asked her seriously

"Fair point" AJ agreed

"And I'm going to get you back for it" Punk said to her "It might not be today or tomorrow or even next week- but it will happen"

"I look forward to it" AJ grinned leaning further against the tub

* * *

Later that day Punk was heading down into the gym.

"You want to work out with me?" Punk asked her while she sat on the couch

"I'd love to but 'love it or list it' is on" AJ said to him in a serious voice as she concentrated on the TV

"So let me get this straight this entire bet started because you wanted to work out in the gym and not have sex but now you're turning down gym time to watch a TV show?" Punk asked her in awe

"It's not just a show!" AJ scolded "Come watch with me"

"Maybe later" he said "Oh Colt and Cliff are going to be stopping by so just tell them I'm down there"

"Yea, yea sure" she said waving him off as she watched the TV. Punk just shook his head and headed downstairs. A half hour later the doorbell rang and AJ knew it was Colt and Cliff, she vaguely remembered Punk telling her they were stopping by.

"Come in!" she shouted knowing they had a key but the bell just rang again.

"Crap" she said pausing the TV and walking over to the door. When she swung the door open it wasn't either Colt or Cliff it was a young woman.

"Hi do you own a dog?" the woman questioned franticly

"No why?" AJ asked concerned

"There's a dog in the street right in front of your home and it looks like he was hit by a car" she said pointing the street, AJ glanced but didn't see anything "he's more to the left side-" AJ quickly followed the woman down her front steps and towards the street. "What kind of dog was it?" she asked. AJ was truly an animal lover and had to help the dog if she could.

"He was right there" the woman said pointing the empty street

"Where? If he was hurt he couldn't have gotten far" AJ said looking around but everything went black as someone slipped some sort of case over her head. AJ's instincts quickly kicked in and she started thrashing around and screaming

"Open the trunk!" She heard a man yell and she felt herself being lifted and placed into what she assumed was a trunk. She gave a hard kick and was sure she hit whoever it was and ripped the sack off of her head and jumped out of the trunk. She didn't even look back at the man as she began to run back to the safety of her home.

"No you don't" the man said grabbing her by the back of her hair and wrapping his arm around her torso and began to drag her back to the car

"Help!" she screamed

"Shut her up!" the woman yelled

"I only have two hands!" he yelled back

"Hey!" a voice yelled and the man froze and quickly dropped AJ to the ground causing her to scrap her hands onto the hard concrete beneath her. She glanced over and saw the man and woman jump into their car and speed off.

"AJ!" Colt yelled jogging over to her with Cliff right behind him "Are you ok?"

"Yea" she said breathlessly

"Cliff call the police" Colt instructed as Cliff pulled out his phone "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"No I don't think so" she said clearly shaken as Colt helped her to her feet

"You're bleeding" he noted helping her towards the front of her house

"It's just my hands" She said looking down at them as they climbed the steps together

"They're on their way" Cliff said as he opened the front door. "Where's Punk?"

"Downstairs" AJ said but before she even finished the word Cliff was heading to the gym

"Here let me see" Colt said taking her hands into his own and examining them

"It's fine" she assured him and thirty seconds later Punk appeared

"What happened?" he asked alarmed racing over to AJ

"I don't even know" She said still in shock "Some woman came to the door and said a dog was hit in the street so I went outside to look and next thing I knew someone placed something over my head and put me in the trunk of their car"

"Police are on their way" Cliff informed them

"Are you hurt?" Punk asked taking a seat on the coffee table directly across from AJ

"No I'm fine" she said to him "I just scrapped my hands and he tugged my hair pretty hard" she said rubbing the back of her head gently

"He?" Punk asked "I thought you said it was a woman"

"There was defiantly a guy there" AJ said to him "I think it was just the two"

"I only saw two" Colt said to them

"Thank you by the way" AJ said looking at him and glancing over to Cliff "If you didn't show up I would have been in the back of that trunk"

"I wish we could have done more" Colt said to her

"Yea they ran off fast but I got a pretty good look at the car" Cliff told them

"Did you recognize either of them?" Punk asked her

"No I didn't even get a good look at the guy and the woman I had never seen before" AJ told him

"Do you think they could have worked for Christian?" Punk asked her

"I doubt it" AJ said to him "Christian's people aren't that sloppy."

"Creepy" Cliff muttered

* * *

An hour later AJ, Colt and Cliff were still giving statements to the police. There were about six officers inside the large living room and a moment later a more familiar Detective entered the living room.

"Punk" Drew Keith said walking over to him "I got your message" he said shaking his hand "How is she?" he asked him

"She's fine just shaken up" Punk told him "I wanted you here because you're still working Christian's case, right?"

"Yea I am" Drew told him

"It was him right?" Punk asked

"I got a rundown before I came but I'm not too sure" Drew told him

"Who else would try to kidnap AJ?" Punk asked annoyed

"I'm not saying you're not right but Christian's staff would have gotten her. This sounded very sloppy and not fully thought out. I mean its broad daylight, there are people and witnesses on the street and she overpowered the male assailant" Drew told him

"I just can't think of anyone else who would do this" Punk said to him "She doesn't have any enemies"

"Well now you have to take into account that she's a celebrity now" Drew pointed out "She's on TV, she's making good money- this happens sometimes. Victoria Beckham was almost abducted numerous times"

"That doesn't happen with wrestlers" Punk said brushing it off

"It can" Drew informed him seriously

"A man and a woman though? It was a total setup!" Punk pointed out

"That's why I'm going to want to talk to you about issues you may have with people" Drew said surprising him

"Why me?" Punk asked confused

"If I wanted to hit you where it would hurt I'd go after your fiancée" Drew informed him "So how many enemies do you have Brooks?"

"A lot of people don't like me but none of those people would result to kidnapping" Punk mocked

"You'd be surprised" Drew said with a frown

"You're wasting your breath here" Punk said to him "This has Christian Scott all over it"

"Like I said I'm going to look into that but I can't ignore the evidence or the fact that Christian Scott isn't even in the country" Drew told him

"Are you sure about that?" Punk asked him

"A hundred percent sure" Drew assured him "I don't know how they thought they would get her out of the country" he said to him "So do me a favor and write down a list of people that hate you" he said ripping out a piece of paper from his notepad

"I'm going to need more paper" Punk told him seriously as Drew just smirked and handed over the entire notepad "I have a big mouth ok?" he defended lightly before walking away

* * *

As the officers slowly left the home the only ones left were Colt, Cliff and Drew Keith.

"How many names are on there?" AJ asked looking over to Punk's long list

"I don't have many friends" he teased

"I think this is a waste of time" AJ groaned

"So you think it was Christian now?" Punk asked hopefully

"No" AJ said to him "It could have just been random"

"Random is snatching you off the street" Drew Keith said walking over to them "Not luring you out of your home. They also mentioned a dog maybe the person knows what a big dog advocate you are"

"That's a bit of a stretch" AJ said to him "Anyone would have done the same thing as me"

"We have to look at this from all ends AJ" Drew told her "Have you any issues the last few weeks?"

"You mean besides Christian?" she smirked "No everything has been fine"

"AJ I need you to really think about this" Drew said seriously "Nothing is too insignificant"

"I got into an argument with one of my bosses at work last week" AJ said to him not giving is much thought "But that happens"

"What's his name?" Drew asked taking out his notepad

"Hayes- H-a-y-e-s" Punk said spelling it out causing her to roll her eyes "First name Michael and he's not her boss he's an asshole"

"Noted" Drew smirked "Anything else AJ?"

"Nope" she said with a shrug

"What about the club?" Punk asked her

"You had an issue at a club?" Drew asked

"No, no but I went to a club a few nights ago and there was guy there I thought he was watching me" She told him "But he didn't try anything"

"You said you thought he was following you into the bathroom" Punk reminded her of the story she had just told him a few hours ago

"I didn't think that" AJ said to him then looked over to Drew "I was with Phil's sisters and one of their boyfriends and they thought he was trying to follow me but they shooed him off and he left"

"What did he say?" Drew asked very intrigued

"I have no idea like I said I was in the bathroom" She said to him

"Can you get me in touch with your sisters?" he asked Punk who just nodded

"Thanks" Drew said to him "I have a few things I want to look into and for now please be diligent AJ" he said to her "I know it's annoying but until we can figure out of this was random or planned I'm going to ask you to not go anywhere alone"

"Great" AJ muttered

"Just give me a few days AJ and I promise I'll have some answers by than" Drew assured her "You too Punk. Watch your back and for the night I'm going to have uniformed officers patrolling the block tonight"

"Thanks" Punk said standing up and shaking his hand

"Call me if you need anything or remember anything" Drew told them

"I will" AJ said forcing a smile then he left

"We're going to head out too" Colt said walking over with Cliff

"Thank you so much" AJ said hugging Colt

"Anytime." Colt smiled as she pulled away

"You both are my heroes" she smiled kissing Cliff on the cheek and his face grew a wide smile

"Babe don't-" Punk started but it was too late, AJ was already pulling him into a hug

"Oh man this is great" Cliff said happily squeezing AJ back

"Ok enough" Punk warned pulling AJ away

"Take care of yourselves" Colt said to them

"Bye AJ!" Cliff waved as he walked out the door with Colt

"Well at least we lasted like two weeks without something crazy happening" AJ said with a shrug

"Yea" Punk said to her "Are you sure you're alright?"

"It was nothing" she said with a smile "I was freaked out at first but I'm ok now. Nothing bad happened"

"Don't go outside without me" Punk said to her causing her to roll her eyes "I mean it AJ don't take out the trash or check the mail- at least until we get a little more information"

"If it makes you feel better? Sure" she told him simply

"I spoke to Hunter as well" Punk told her

"You told them?" AJ asked with a frown

"I had to let them know in case the media picks up on it" Punk said to her "But they're going to up security a bit as well."

"They're not going to pull me off of TV though, right?" she asked nervously

"No but they probably should" Punk said to her

"No I'm not going to stop my job, I'm just getting started" she defended

"Yes I know, I know" he mocked lightly then eyed her from head to toe

"What?" she asked him

"I was just thinking how I would love to just keep you locked away in a giant room" Punk said to her

"Real nice" she laughed

"Just to keep you safe" he defended quickly "I'll take you out every time I come home" he promised

"What about when you're overseas?" AJ asked

"I'll have my sisters come over to walk you or something" He answered quickly

"I'm not a dog Phil" she said placing her hands on her hips

"It could be great" Punk defended "I'll put a TV and an xbox in there, throw in a few comics, wrap the walls with bubble wrap too because I know you're clumsy. And this way I'll know you're safe at all times and when my contract is up I'll move into the room with you"

"You've given this little fantasy a lot of thought" AJ teased and he just nodded in agreement. She walked over to him and kissed his lips lightly "I'm fine and it's going go take a lot more than two morons to keep me away from you" she assured him with a smile then walked away.


	30. Say You Love Me

**Chapter 30: Say You Love Me**

* * *

Punk and AJ were in his locker room at the next house show. She seemed fine since the kidnapping incident but Punk was more on edge. She was trying her best to patient with him but now he was smothering her so she was going to have to work on distracting him.

"So we never picked a date" AJ pointed out to him randomly

"A date for what?" Punk asked

"Our wedding" she said to him "You do still want to marry me, right?" she teased

"Of course its just there's so much going on right now" Punk told her

"There's nothing going on" AJ said with a sigh "Everything has been quiet"

"For now" Punk pointed out "I'm waiting on an update from Drew"

"Leave the poor guy alone" AJ said to him "He's working as fast as he can"

"Not fast enough" Punk mumbled "I'm the reason he got his job back so he should really make us his top priority"

"Phil please" She pleaded standing up for the couch and walking over to him as he sat in a folding chair "You need to calm down" she said rubbing his shoulders "You have been so tense these last few days and it's driving me crazy"

"I'm worried about you, ok?" he said to her calmly "I can't turn it off."

"It's not a big deal" she assured him

"It's a big deal AJ" Punk said annoyed "Someone throwing a sack over your head and trying to shove you into a car is a big deal"

"But I'm ok, isn't that all that counts?" she questioned

"That's the most important part but it's not all that counts. I want to know who and why" Punk said to her as she continued to massage his shoulders

"Drew said he thinks it could have been local people" AJ said to him "People who know I live with you and thought they could get money off of you"

"That's ridiculous. Anybody hanging out in my neighborhood doesn't need to kidnap anyone to make money" Punk argued "It was Christian"

"It wasn't Christian" she said to him "He would have never hired people like that and he doesn't exactly have women on his payroll for that sort of work"

"I can't think of anyone else who would be ballsy enough to try to take you" Punk remarked

"Look at the bright side at least this didn't make headlines" AJ shrugged simply "No one back here knows which is a nice change and you want to know why? Because it's not a big deal!" there was a loud knock at Punk's door and AJ walked over to answer it.

"Hello-" AJ started but the person pushed right past her and entered the room

"You were invited in?" Punk asked standing up out of his seat

"I want to know if you think you're funny?" Michael Hayes questioned

"Yes I do" Punk said seriously "Was that all?"

"You told the police that you thought I tried to kidnap AJ?" Michael asked disbelievingly

"Those weren't his exact words" AJ said with a nervous laugh

"What were his exact words?" Hayes asked her annoyed

"The police wanted to know who AJ has had issues with the last few weeks and your name came up" Punk shrugged simply

"They showed up at WWE headquarters- do you have any idea how humiliating that was?" Michael asked him

"You probably felt as humiliated as AJ did that night you yelled at her" Punk replied calmly "Sucks don't it?"

"You went too far" Michael warned "I would never try to kidnap AJ! I mean what the hell would I even do with her?" he asked scrunching up his face

"Hey!" AJ said offended folding her arms

"Ignore him" Punk told her "He's just crabby because his big mouth got him in a little bit of trouble"

"I'm not crabby, I'm pissed off!" Michael yelled at him

"Boo-hoo" he mocked "Get out of my locker room and maybe you'll think twice before you try to intimidate people" Hayes just stormed out of the locker room and both flinched with the sound of the slamming door

Christian was dinner at a large table by himself when Jack entered the room and he slowly looked up.

"Is she here?" he asked hopefully

"Not yet" Jack said to him "Soon"

"Soon? You told me 'soon' days ago" Christian responded coldly

"We hit a snag" Jack admitted

"What kind of snag?" he asked arching a curious crow

"We had her" Jack admitted to his boss "But she got away"

"How is that possible?" Christian asked disgusted "Who did you send?"

"None of our people" Jack told him "We hired outside help"

"Are you stupid?" Christian asked him seriously "You think I trust some filthy strangers with my April?"

"It was the safest thing to do" Jack insisted

"Well it didn't work!" Christian yelled "Obviously you were wrong. If she's not here by the end of the week I'm leaving to get her myself"

"Sir-" Jack started

"It wasn't a question!" Christian yelled "I'm giving you a task as my employee are you still my employee Jack?"

"Of course sir" Jack said quietly

"Get it done or I will" Christian warned

"I'll go myself" Jack suggested nervously

"Good" Christian said to him "I was hoping you'd say that"

* * *

Back at the hotel room AJ was laying mostly on top of Punk as he ran his hands through her hair.

"Feeling better?" she asked

"After that? Hell yes" he smirked kissing her forehead lightly "I'm sorry if I'm being difficult or short tempered but I'm scared and I hate feeling that way"

"There's nothing to be scared about" AJ assured him

"How are you so calm?" Punk asked her seriously "I mean this happened to you and I feel like I'm the only one freaking out"

"Because I know you'll protect me" AJ admitted honestly. Punk smiled lightly to himself

"You're damn right I will" he said tightening his grip around her "Oh and I was thinking of wedding dates and I think I found a good date"

"Really?" AJ asked surprised "When?"

"July 13th" he told her

"July 13th ? I don't think I want to wait a year" she admitted

"Not of next year, this year" Punk corrected her

"That's like two weeks away" she said lifting her head to look at him

"It's a Friday and I think that's pretty badass" Punk smirked "I mean we weren't going to do anything too big, right? We can have a nice small wedding"

"Ok" she agreed with a smile

"Yea? You don't have to we can hold off a few more months" Punk insisted

"What's the point? The end game is for us to be married" AJ pointed out

"But I know you wanted to go dress shopping and stuff" Punk said to her

"I'm still going to wear a dress I just can't be picky about it" she said to him simply "I don't need a big fancy party or a DJ, I just need you"

"We'll probably have to wait on a honeymoon though" Punk told her "I don't know how generous Vince is going to be at the high point of Summer Slam stories"

"We can hold off on it" AJ shrugged "I just want to be married to you. Hopefully no one kidnaps me before the wedding" she teased but he just shot her a death glare "I'm kidding!" she laughed kissing his lips but he didn't respond "Don't be mad. You know I make inappropriate jokes during serious situations like this! It's just all part of my charm"

"Right" Punk grumbled

"Come on say you love me" she said pinching his side

"No" Punk huffed "Not until you start to taking this seriously"

"You are such a baby when you don't get your way" she laughed trying to kiss him but he moved his face away "Really?" she asked still laughing

"I already got laid tonight" Punk shrugged simply

"I want you to say you love me" she warned

"And I want you to promise not to joke about this" Punk said back to her

"I'll just call Cliff and ask him to tell me he loves me" AJ shot at him smugly

"Cute" Punk smirked at her "And well played"

"He also finds me to be hysterical" AJ informed him

"He finds you to be hot" Punk corrected "He would laugh at anything you say or do if he thought it would get him one step closer to sleeping with you"

"He would never sleep with me" AJ giggled "He loves you too much"

"I would have thought that but my opinion has changed. I seriously think he would" he said seriously as AJ rolled her eyes "I'm serious!"

"Hey your friends saved my life" AJ reminded him "They're good people"

"I agree and I can't thank them enough but it doesn't change the fact that if you called up Cliff and said you wanted to have sex with him he would forget I even existed" Punk said seriously

"Well maybe he'd tell me how much he loves me" AJ pouted

"It would be really hard for him to speak at all to you being dead and all" Punk said to her

"You would never" she smirked

"If you left me for Cliff? I would kill him" Punk confirmed

"Just say you love me and you'll never have to worry about it" she smiled "The last time you and I were at odds like this you ended up handcuffed" Punk just grinned

"That was awesome" Punk said smiling at the memory

"Trust me baby you won't like it this time around" AJ threatened with a sweet smile starling him "I will pinch you so hard-" she said grabbing onto his side

"Ok, ok!" he said feeling the pinch and she was still freakishly strong

"Say it!" She laughed as she pinched

"I love you!" Punk yelled out causing her to let go of him "You are so mean to me" he said rubbing his side

"I'll make it up to you" she assured him kissing his cheek "I love you too by the way"

* * *

A few days later AJ and Punk arrived at Raw and thankfully Punk had calmed down a lot. But he was still extra cautious with her. They were only forty-five minutes out of Chicago tonight so they were both looking forward to heading home after the show. As they entered the arena together they were surprised to see Hunter casually chatting with Drew Keith.

"What's this?" AJ whispered to Punk

"I don't know but I'm going to find out" he said walking straight towards them "Drew" Punk said catching both of their attention

"There he is!" Drew cheered shaking his hand and giving AJ a hug

"What's going on?" Punk asked both Drew and Hunter

"Detective Keith stopped by to see you two and we started talking about the investigation" Hunter informed him

"Which is closed by the way" Drew told him happily "That's actually why I'm here I wanted to give you two the good news in person"

"You got them?" AJ asked hopefully

"Yes" Drew informed her "And like I thought there was no connection to Christian Scott"

"Are you sure?" Punk asked surprised "Why would they try to take AJ?"

"The couple that tried to take AJ are nothing more than the poor mans version of Bonnie and Clyde" Drew informed them "They have rap sheets longer than your wrestling resume. We picked them up at a motel not far from your place actually. The plan was to take AJ and hold for ransom and make some money off of you. They live in Chicago and know you're kind of the local hero"

"Really?" Punk asked still not buying it

"I thought you would be excited about this being over" Hunter noted

"It just seems really out there" Punk admitted "And they confessed to everything?"

"Yea that was the only weird part but both their stories matched" Drew said to him

"You're still looking into Christian right?" Punk asked him

"Phil he's gone" AJ said to him

"Of course. He's my main fish I want to fry and you will be the first to know if there's any change in that case" Drew assured him

"Good" Punk said to him

"Thank you for catching them" AJ said to Drew since clearly Punk wasn't going to

"It's my job plus I kind of like you two" Drew smirked

"So what you're saying is that Punk doesn't have to follow me when I check the mail or stalk me when I go for coffee?" AJ asked Drew who just smiled towards her

"You're lucky to have a guy like him" Drew laughed "But there is no reason to feel you aren't safe"

"Great" AJ said with a smile "See? It's all over"

"Right" Punk smirked towards her

* * *

"Did you see this?" AJ asked walking into catering where Punk was sitting with Paul

"See what?" Punk asked taking the sheet of paper from AJ

"I have a singles match tonight!" she said happily

"What?" Paul demanded snatching the paper from Punk "I wasn't notified"

"It was a last minute change" she told them "Originally with my safety concerns they weren't going to do it but since everything is good now I get my match!"

"Congratulations" Punk grinned

"Thank you" AJ said to him "I'm pretty sure Nikki is going to hate me since they scrapped her match with Nattie because of it but whatever" she shrugged

"Well Nikki should learn how to wrestle better than" Punk said to her as she took a seat with them

"Did you tell Paul about July 13th?" she asked Punk

"What's July 13th?" Paul asked the two of them

"I forgot" Punk admitted then looked towards Paul "AJ and are getting married"

"Two weeks from Friday?" Paul asked him "Friday the 13th?"

"Yup" Punk said taking a bite out of his food

"I give you two credit you love to tempt faith and with your history of disasters…." Paul trailed off then grinned "I'm just kidding" he smiled "I'm hoping this was your way of inviting me?"

"Yep" AJ said to him "No formal invitations because it's just going to be family and close friends and by that I mean Phil's family and close friends"

"Your family isn't coming down?" Paul asked surprised

"Nah. I called them up but they can't make it" AJ said with a shrug

"They can's make it to their own daughters wedding?" Paul questioned in a mocking voice

"Yea I mean it's fine" AJ said to him "I wasn't expecting them to come anyway"

"Who is going to walk you down the aisle?" Paul asked feeling bad for the young diva

"It's not going to be much of an aisle" AJ smirked "I can do it on my own"

"I'll do it" Paul volunteered

"I couldn't ask you to do that" AJ said to him

"You're not asking, I'm offering" Paul reminded her "Unless you're not comfortable with that"

"It means a lot to me that you would" AJ said to him "And you have been like a father to me since I started here. I'd be honored"

"By the way my family is your family now" Punk informed her trying to make her feel better "Anytime I hear from my sisters now it's only to ask if you're around"

"I love weddings" Paul beamed "And I never thought I'd live to see the day that CM Punk would take the plunge"

"Well get ready because it's happening" Punk said surely

"So tonight after the show how about we celebrate?" Paul questioned the two "The big wedding date and the fact that no one is going to try to kidnap AJ anymore!" he cheered causing AJ to laugh but Punk was less amused

"He doesn't like kidnapping jokes" AJ whispered to Paul

"I can see that" Paul said with a frown eyeing Punk "He's just naturally grumpy"

"I'm sitting right here" Punk reminded him bitterly

"I have to go get dressed. You're coming out for my match, right Paul?" she asked

"Of course" Paul said to her. She kissed Punk on the cheek and skipped out of catering

"That was nice of you" Punk said to him

"The wedding thing?" Paul asked "Of course! I love AJ"

"It means a lot to her and to me" Punk told him sincerely

"So why the long face?" Paul asked his friend

"I'm not buying this kidnapping thing" Punk admitted "It just seems to neat and tidy"

"It is odd I'll give you that" Paul agreed "But the police know what they're doing and AJ seems happy don't bring her down"

"I'm trying not to" Punk said to him "But I can't shake this feeling"

"What feeling?" Paul asked

"That something is off" Punk told him "Something is very wrong here and no one is listening to me"

"Christian Scott is gone" Paul reminded him "It's time to move on. You're going to be married and you don't want this hanging over your head"

* * *

Jack stepped into the back of an SUV and was greeted by another man dressed in a nice suit.

"I'm surprised you're back so soon" the man said to Jack

"I wasn't planning on it" Jack told him

"So why are you risking your freedom to come back here?" the man asked as the car began to drive

"The boss needs something" Jack told him

"The girl?" he asked and Jack nodded "We've had eyes on her this entire time"

"He doesn't want eyes on her, he just wants her" Jack said to him "I'm here to take care of it personally"

"What do you need from me? A few men?" he asked

"No. I just need to stop and get supplies" Jack said to him "I'm going to need electrical tape, rope, a taser gun, wire, an unmarked car and a change of clothing for a female"

"I'll take care of it" he told him "Where to?"

"She should be back in Chicago soon, right?" Jack asked

"Yea normally its Wednesday but they're not far from home tonight they might just head back tonight" he told them

"I need to watch them a few days" Jack told him

"Police are all over their neighborhood" he informed Jack

"I'm very good at my job" Jack remarked smugly


	31. Bad Habit

**Chapter 31: Bad Habit**

* * *

Punk and AJ were back at home by Tuesday afternoon. He was still uneasy but she was so excited with the upcoming wedding and having her first singles match on TV he decided to just keep it all to himself.

"What are you going to wear for the wedding?" AJ asked as she flipped through a catalog

"Clothes" Punk responded watching the TV

"Funny" she snorted "Are you going to wear a suit or a tuxedo or just a nice shirt…"

"I'll wear whatever you want me to wear" Punk said to her

"You're not helping" AJ groaned

"What are you wearing?" Punk asked

"I'll find out later today actually. I'm going shopping with your sisters, remember?" she asked and he cringed. He completely forgot about that

"Today?" Punk asked "I thought we had plans"

"We didn't have plans" AJ smirked as she flipped through the magazine

"I'm pretty sure we did" Punk argued "But that's fine go shopping"

"Gee thanks" she teased

"I have to go shopping myself anyway" Punk said casually "I'll go with you guys"

"You can't come wedding dress shopping with me" AJ said horrified "That's bad luck!"

"I'm not going to look at the dress I swear" Punk said to her "I need to go to the mall that's all"

"Ok you have fun at the mall I'll be at a bridal shop" AJ said to him "Did you really think I could just walk into the mall and pickup a wedding dress?"

"Yea" Punk admitted "I guess you can't"

"No" she grinned

"I'll drive you than" he offered

"What is your deal?" she laughed "I'm safe remember?"

"I'm not comfortable, sorry" he told her turning off the TV "So we can continue this little game for another hour or you can just realize I'm going to stalk to you the entire day"

"You can't come in" AJ said to him

"Fine I'll wait in the car" Punk said to her

"We can be in there for hours" AJ pointed out

"I have a radio" Punk reminded her "I'll keep myself entertained"

"You're crazy" she laughed

"Crazy about you" Punk countered

"You are just so smooth" she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her on top of him on the couch "I love that you want to stalk me and protect me but it's really not necessary"

"Humor me?" he asked before nipping at her lips

"Fine I mean its your day that you're wasting" AJ said to him as he leaned down and kissed her again only this time he didn't pull away "I have to be ready in an hour to go" she told him moving her face away from his slightly

"Trust me we'll be done in less than an hour" Punk assured her leaning down and capturing her lips again. AJ instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to grind against her….

* * *

AJ was lying on top of Punk breathing heavily. He ran his hands up and down her bare back as he tried to control his own breathing.

"Your sisters are expecting me in twenty minutes" AJ said to him

"Well they have to wait" Punk said seriously "I love having you naked on top of me" he said to her "I might not let you go at all" he said kissing her bare shoulder

"This is great" she admitted with a satisfied smile "But I really have to get going"

"Five more minutes" he argued closing his eyes taking in the moment

"I'm going to look horrible" AJ said to him "They're going to know why I'm late, I bet I have sex hair"

"Sex hair?" Punk smirked opening his eyes

"Yea you know it's all sweaty and messy and looks like you've been playing with it" AJ said to him and he nodded

"It does look like that" he agreed seriously

"Ugh" she groaned climbing off of him and reaching for her clothes "Get dressed or you're going to have a hard time stalking me when you can't find me"

"Yea, yea" he muttered sitting up reaching for his shorts and his discarded shirt and looked over to her as he got dressed

"What?" She asked, she looked very disheveled. Her shirt was inside out for one and her hair was all over the place

"You look like I just fucked you" Punk informed her with a grin "I don't mind but you might want to fix your shirt"

"Shit" she muttered looking at her shirt and quickly pulled it off

"It's a good look for you" Punk said casually as he reached for his shoes "It gives the 'off the market' vibe"

"I thought the ring gave off that vibe" AJ said seriously as she put her shirt on properly this time and walked over to the mirror and quickly ran a brush through her hair

"It does but this look is more fun" Punk teased

"They'll never sell me a white dress if I go in with that vibe" she teased

"Oh sweetheart the white dress option is long gone for you" Punk told her seriously as she turned around "Your lips are swollen too" he continued to tease

"Keep teasing me and we'll abstain from sex until marriage" she warned

"Oh please" Punk laughed as she reached for her bag. He followed her to the front door and opened it for her and following her outside.

* * *

Jack was across the street in a car watching them carefully. He saw how she playfully pushed him and laughed. They were very happy that much was obvious but they had no idea what was coming.

Four hours later Punk and AJ arrived back home.

"So you're telling me after four hours you still couldn't find a dress?" Punk asked in awe "I mean what the hell were you doing for four hours?"

"I was trying on different things" AJ said with a shrug "It may look good on a mannequin but it falls differently on me"

"You can wear a paper bag and the prettiest person in a room" Punk told her seriously "There seriously wasn't one dress you liked?"

"Nope" AJ said to him

"It's just four hours was a long time" Punk pointed out

"I told you not to be a creeper and sit in the car and watch from the street" AJ reminded him

"No one even saw me" Punk defended

"The sales woman in the store almost called the police" AJ said seriously as he let out a laugh "Your sisters think you're insane"

"I think they're insane" Punk shot back

"They got really cute dresses though" AJ said to him

"Great" he mocked "That was the point of all of this"

"You are so grouchy" AJ laughed

"I was in a hot car for hours" Punk defended

"You had the air on and like I said you did it to yourself" AJ said to him "Did you see anyone else lurking around the bridal shop by the way?"

"No because I'm sure my presence scared everyone off" Punk told her seriously

"Oh that must have been it" AJ mocked "I'm sure it wasn't the fact that no one was lurking or watching me"

"It was me" Punk confirmed "No one wants a piece of this"

"I do" she said with a cheeky grin

"You can take as much as you want when ever you want" Punk told her seriously "Look before we get out of hand I forgot I got a couple of tickets to the cubs game tonight. Colt is coming with us"

"Can't I just sit this one out?" AJ pouted "I'm really tired"

"I'll stay home too" Punk said to her

"I'll be fine!" AJ laughed shaking him lightly

"No AJ" Punk said cutting her off

"Yes" she argued "I'll keep the doors locked and if it makes you feel better I'll even invite Cliff over"

"I hope you're kidding" Punk said in a low tone

"Yes" she giggled "You should have seen your face. But seriously go and have fun and let me rest"

"You'll keep the doors locked?" Punk asked her seriously

"I swear" she said to him

"You'll call if something feels off?" he asked her causing her to roll her eyes

"Yes daddy" she mocked and he gave her a cheeky grin "Ew Phil" she said slapping his arm

"Ok fine" he said with a laugh "I won't be too late" he told her

"Whatever I have six episodes of love it or list it on the DVR" AJ said to him

"Oh and if someone knocks on the door and tells you they have candy in a van don't believe it" he said to her

"Asshole" she muttered folding her arms

"It's only because I love you" he said kissing her cheek "I'll bring you back a present"

"You better" she said as he walked past her

* * *

A few hours later Punk and Colt arrived back at the house, the living room light was on and the TV was on as well.

"AJ?" Punk asked tossing his keys onto the table

"Hmm" Colt said looking around

"Babe?" he asked walking into the kitchen

"Weird" Colt noted

"I knew I shouldn't have gone tonight" Punk said to him

"Relax" Colt chuckled "Check the gym and I'll check upstairs I'm sure she's here"

"She left the TV on" Punk said to him

"You go downstairs I'll go upstairs" Colt said to him "Just relax"

As Colt headed up the stairs he checked the bedroom first and then the guest rooms and bathrooms but there was no sight of her. As he headed down the stairs he found Punk coming back up from downstairs.

"Anything?" Punk asked

"No" Colt said to him "Where the hell could she have gone?"

"Who?" AJ asked turning her head around to look at the two of them and both looked surprised

"Where did you come from?" Colt asked her

"The bathroom" she said slowly and so their worried faces "What's wrong?"

"Which bathroom?" Colt asked

"Why?" AJ asked disgusted

"He got a little worried when we came in and you weren't here" Punk said to her "I knew you were fine"

"I was in the guest bathroom right there" she said pointing to the small room

"I didn't even know you had a bathroom there I thought it was closet" Colt said to Punk

"How was the game?" she asked pausing the TV

"Cubs lost" Punk said moving to sit next to her

"They always do" Colt smirked "I'm heading out. Punk I'll see you soon, AJ you look gorgeous as always"

"Really?" Punk asked his friend

"I've been hanging out with Cliff a lot" Colt defended then walked out the door

"So how was your night?" Punk asked her

"Boring and uneventful" AJ smirked "Just the way I like it"

"Boring and uneventful?" Punk teased "That's new for you"

"Well I am almost through this entire gallon of cookie dough ice cream" she said grabbing the container of ice cream

"Didn't save me any huh?" Punk frowned "It is one of my favorites"

"I know babe" she smirked placing a spoon filled bite into his mouth "I saved you a little"

"You're the best" he grinned as she gave him another mouthful

"I hope every night is like this" AJ said to him "Just laying on the couch and feeding you ice cream"

"Me too" he said seriously "I can get used to this"

"I like taking care of you" she admitted

"I'd like to take care of you" he said kissing her lips causing some of the ice cream to get on her lips

"You got ice cream on me" she giggled wiping it off "And our lips are really cold"

"Are they?" he asked leaning in "You'll have to warm them up for me" he said kissing down her neck

"No!" she laughed as he left wet opened mouth kisses down her neck but she quickly jumped off the couch "you got me all sticky" she pouted playfully wiping her neck

"I'm not going to touch that line" Punk told her admirably "Come back here and feed me" he demanded

"No I'm going to wash off my neck and go to bed" she said to him

"I'll just clean it off for you" he offered casually standing up

"Don't you dare" she warned with a laugh but he just lunged for her and pulled her into him and began to kiss all over her neck "Ew" she giggled

"You taste like ice cream- it's the best" he said against her but she quickly pulled away

"Behave!" she warned pointing at him as she slowly backed away

"That word isn't in my vocabulary" he reminded her as he slowly inched closer with every step she took back. She quickly turned and raced up the steps but he was right behind her

* * *

"No sir" Jack said into the phone "Yea I've seen her….I don't know she looks the same…I don't know…I haven't been here that long…I can't just break into their home he upped security I don't even think she knows about it…..if I even breath too close a door or window an alarm will sound….I can't get her at home….they'll be back on the road in a few days….yea I'll get her than….I don't know what she's wearing right now sir I can't get that close- alright, alright I'll call you when I've made some headway"

* * *

Upon arriving for the next show Punk was much more at ease he was starting to think he was wrong and Drew was right- the people were caught and that was it. AJ was grateful that he was letting her do simple things on her own.

"Your warden let you out?" Eve teased taking a seat with AJ in the catering area

"Yea can you believe it?" AJ grinned "He's been driving me crazy but he's starting to realize that he's crazy"

"He's worried for you and I can't say I blame him" Eve said to her seriously "I'm worried too"

"I'm fine" AJ assured her friend "Thanks to you and Rener. I got away by using one of those kicks you taught me"

"He'll be thrilled to know that" Eve said to her "Are you sure everything is ok now?"

"The Detective on the case assured me I'm safe" AJ said to her "I'm taking his word for it. Christian is gone"

"Alright" Eve said to her "So what else is new with you?"

"Well I'm going to be wrestling again on Monday" AJ told her happily "Phil got me a new pair of chucks, I'm getting married next week and I got my hair trimmed"

"You're what?" Eve asked stunned

"You caught the marriage thing huh?" she teased "Phil and I want you there too."

"This is crazy? When? Where?" Eve asked quickly

"Friday the 13th and in Chicago" AJ said to her "You're a big reason we're together today and we want both you and Rener there"

"We'll be there" she assured her "Why the rush?"

"No reason" AJ shrugged "It's just why wait? We're in love and aren't big on fancy parties. We just want to be married"

"Good for you two, I'm happy for you guys" Eve smiled sincerely

"Thanks" AJ said to her "I'm really excited. I thought as we got closer I'd start to get nervous but I'm really just anxious"

"I can't believe you two weren't even speaking a few months ago and now you're getting married" Eve said to her

"It's crazy I know" AJ said to her "But when you know" she shrugged simply

"I agree. You can't put a timetable on love" Eve said to her

"My two favorite ladies" Punk said taking a seat next to AJ

"Hey there" Eve smiled "AJ just invited me to your wedding, congratulations"

"Thank you very much" Punk said to her "And you'll be there right?"

"You think I would miss CM Punk getting married?" Eve mocked "Hell has frozen over. I will be there"

"A lot of people are saying that" AJ said to Punk

"Yea well I used to be a bit of ladies man" Punk told her proudly "I don't know if you ever heard the rumors…."

"Oh yea I've heard them" AJ informed him "I worked here for a while before we dated. I heard them from Beth, Kelly-"

"I get it" Punk said cutting her off

"So what's so special about Miss. AJ here?" Eve smirked at him

"She's the total package" Punk told her honestly causing her to blush

"You two are seriously adorable I can't even stand it" Eve said standing up and walking away

"I was looking everywhere for you by the way. You turned your phone off?" Punk asked her

"Oh I left it in the rental" AJ said to him

"I'll run out and get it" Punk offered

"Oh by the way I got an interesting message from your mother this morning. I can't believe I forgot to mention it to you" AJ told him

"Yea? Is she joining the bandwagon with my sisters to keep you away from me before the wedding?" he teased

"Oh no I meant your birth mother" she said quietly surprising him "At least that's who she said she was on the message I've never met her I don't know for sure I don't even know how she got my number-"

"What did she say?" Punk asked abruptly

"She knows were getting married and wants to be involved" AJ said to him "She seemed really sincere"

"Yea that sounds like her" Punk remarked bitterly

"You should call her" AJ suggested innocently

"Do you know why she called you and not me?" Punk asked her "It's because I have a restraining order against her"

"She sounded like she really wanted to be apart of your day" AJ told him "Maybe you should consider it"

"No way" Punk said to her forcefully "She wants an in and now she's all nice but a few weeks down the road she's going to start asking for money and asking you for money- no chance in hell"

"She's your mother" AJ reminded him

"No she's not" Punk said to her coldly "That woman didn't raise me or teach me a thing"

"I think it's nice you have a parent that wants to be involved" AJ told him

"It's not the same. I wish I had the issue with my family that you did" Punk shot at her

"No you don't" AJ said shaking her head "And I really think you should just listen to the message"

"No AJ I'm not discussing this anymore" He said starting to go angry

"But-" AJ started

"But nothing!" Punk yelled "And I don't want you communicating with her"

"You're overreacting" AJ said to him

"I'm sick of you saying that you don't understand my family life so don't sit there and preach to me about second chances" Punk told her

"I think I understand it more than you think" AJ shot at him

"No AJ you don't but you should. The only difference with our families is that when I cut mine off they didn't stop- yours dropped you like a bad habit as soon as you stopped becoming useful to them" Punk told her coldly

"That was low" AJ said to him

"Punk we need you now!" Hayes shouted from the entryway of the room

"I'm busy" Punk shot at him

"Those pictures aren't going to sign themselves" Hayes said with a dramatic sigh

"He's free" AJ said standing up

"Really?" Punk asked her shooting her glare, he wanted to finish this discussion

"You have pictures to sign" AJ told him bitterly "Don't let a bad habit get in the way of your job"

"I didn't mean it like that and you damn well know it" he said annoyed

"Just give me the keys so I can get my phone" AJ told him "Maybe I'll have more calls from your family, but I'm sure none from mine. Lucky me" she said as he placed the keys into her hand and watched as she stormed passed Michael Hayes

"Bye AJ" Hayes smiled waving at her retreating form

* * *

After signing thousands of pictures Punk avoided his locker room so he wouldn't have to continue his argument with AJ. He even used the men's locker room to get prepped for his match but knew after his match he was going to have to face the music.

"I think you should cut her some slack" Paul said walking with Punk back to his locker room "I mean the poor thing doesn't even have a family. She's clearly a little jealous"

"She doesn't understand how my family works" Punk reminded him "She thinks because my mother calls up it's all rainbows and butterflies"

"She doesn't seem like the rainbow and butterfly type to me" Paul said to him

"I want to know how she got AJ's number" Punk said annoyed

"You can get anything off of the Internet" Paul said to him "I think you should apologize to her" he suggested

"I didn't do anything wrong" Punk shot at him

"I know but she's going to be your wife soon so start getting used to caving and sucking up your pride" Paul told him

"I do that all of the time Paul and I'm not bending on this" Punk said to him "I don't want that woman in my life or at my wedding"

"So sit down and explain it all to AJ. She doesn't understand your family history because you never told her about it" Paul told him calmly "She's a smart and understanding girl she'll get it"

"She's been ignoring me this entire night" Punk said as they reached his locker room

"You've been ignoring her as well" Paul reminded him as they stepped into the locker room "She's not here?"

"No she's not" Punk said glancing around the room

"Did she leave?" Paul questioned

"No her bag is still here and her purse" Punk said to him

"Where could she have gone?" Paul asked him

"Maybe the women's locker room" Punk said to him "Or catering"

"I'll go take a look around see if I can catch her" Paul said to him

* * *

AJ slowly opened her eyes but she was surrounded by darkness. She wasn't sure where she was or how she got here. When she tried to move her arms she realized they were taped together along with her ankles and mouth.

"Good morning Ms. Mendez" Jack smiled. She now could tell they were in a moving van and he was sitting across from her while she was laying on the floor "Sorry for any discomfort you're feeling at the moment" she couldn't speak and her head was killing her. "I'm sorry about your head" he said to her casually "I tried not to hit you too hard but it's been so long since you've been awake I thought I killed you" he smirked "Can't have that- Mr. Scott would have my head" the sound of his name sent chills down AJ's spine. "Don't worry you'll be with him very shortly" AJ's eyes widened in horror and they spoke the words she couldn't speak.


	32. Where'd You Go?

**Chapter 32: Where'd You Go?**

* * *

Punk was pacing back and forth in his locker room with Paul talking to the security of the arena and a uniformed police officer.

"…..I understand she's an adult and she can just pick up and leave but she wouldn't" Paul said with a frustrated laugh "She's at work- she can't just pick up and leave when she feels like it unless she wants to get fired, she also left all of her stuff here. How far could she get?"

"I understand sir but there isn't too much we can do until after 24 hours" the officer informed him

"Were you not listening when I said someone tried to kidnap her a week ago?" Punk demanded losing all of his patience "There is a very powerful man after her!"

"Right" the officer said to him

"Why aren't you writing any of this down?" Punk seethed

"Punk calm down" Paul said to him quietly

"I will not calm down!" Punk yelled "AJ is missing! And the longer we have to wait the further she gets!"

"Sir I understand you're-" the officer started

"You don't understand!" Punk shouted "Because if you did you would have more officers here and would be looking for her!"

"There's another officer in the arena asking questions" he told Punk

"Oh gosh! One whole other officer!" Punk mocked loudly "Well why didn't you mention that?"

"Can I make a suggestion?" Paul asked the officer "Please call the Chicago PD. They're familiar with AJ's dilemma and they can tell you all about her crazy ex-boyfriend"

"Sir I know how to do my job" the officer informed Paul firmly

"Well you're the police and you're supposed to find people and I don't see you finding anybody!" Paul shouted as he to was starting to grow frustrated another officer entered the room and started talking to the one that was with Punk

"What? Did you find something?" Punk asked

"Sir did you and your girlfriend have a fight earlier today?" the officer asked Punk

"My fiancée and I had a mild disagreement" Punk said to him "What does that have to do with her not being here? You're not implying I had something to do with this?"

"I'm not pointing fingers at anyone" the officer defended quickly "But if you two had a fight maybe she decided to leave you"

"Oh give me a break" Punk said with a laugh "We're getting married in a week she wouldn't just walk out on me"

"Are you sure?" the officer questioned "According to some people your girlfriend has a quit the reputation"

"What did you just say?" Punk asked glaring at the officer

"Can I have your badge number?" Paul demanded jumping in Punk's path to the officer "I'd like to speak to someone who has been on the job longer than six months"

"No I want you to clarify what you just said to me!" Punk yelled towards the officer

"According to…." He said looking at the notepad "…Michael Hayes you and your girlfriend were arguing earlier and he mentioned she's dated a lot of people back here-"

"Is that what he said?" Punk asked him and the officer nodded and that's when Punk stormed out of the locker room

Punk found Hayes joking around with John Cena around the corner and made a beeline straight towards the long blonde haired man.

"You think this is funny?" Punk demanded shoving Michael so hard into the wall it cracked

"Are you insane!" Hayes shouted

"You're wasting time with these cops who should be looking for AJ!" Punk yelled grabbing him by the collar of his shirt so they were eye level

"Chill out Punk" John said reaching to pull him off of Hayes

"If you put your hands on my boy scout I'll put you through the wall next" Punk threatened

"I told them the truth!" Hayes shouted "You two were arguing! She probably just got tired of your crap and moved on to the next guy with a few bucks in his pocket!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Punk screamed pushing him against the wall again

"What is he talking about?" John asked Hayes "Where's AJ?"

"Mr. Brooks" the officer said walking over to him "Let him go- now" Punk looked towards the officer and let go of Hayes.

"I wan to press charges" Michael told the officer as Punk just rolled his eyes

"I don't have time for this!" Punk shouted as the officer placed the handcuffs around his wrists

"Wait, wait!" Paul shouted "You can't arrest him! He's the champion"

"He just assaulted a man in front of witnesses" the officer informed him

"This is bullshit!" Punk shouted "You need to keep looking for AJ" he said to Paul who nodded

"You can tell us all about AJ" the officer told him "Down at the station"

"He had nothing to do with that!" Paul yelled stepping in front of them

"If you don't step away I'll arrest you too" the officer threatened

"Paul you have to get in touch with the Chicago PD" Punk told him "She was going to the car to get her phone" he suddenly remembered

"I'll tell them" Paul said helplessly as they pulled Punk away

"What the hell is going on?" John asked clearly out of the loop

"You are going to pay for that" Paul said in a dangerous tone to Michael Hayes

* * *

AJ felt the van stop moving and now she was starting to freak out, was Christian here? Why were they stopping? How long had she been gone for?

"Relax Ms. Mendez" Jack cooed "We still have a long way to go" she couldn't respond so he removed the tape from her mouth "You can feel free to scream but no one will hear you"

"Why did we stop?" she asked him in a shaky voice

"Switching drivers" Jack informed her

"Where are we going?" she asked

"You'll find out once we get there" Jack said to her formally

"Please let me go" AJ pleaded "I don't want to see him"

"That's not how it works Ms. Mendez" Jack said to her "He's done waiting for you to come around. He's taking what's rightfully his back"

"I'm not his" AJ said to him

"You're not Mr. Brooks' either" Jack told her

"You're right" AJ agreed "Phil doesn't treat me like a possession. He loves me for me and he's never tried to change me"

"Maybe if he treated you like you were special you wouldn't be here right now" Jack retorted

"We're getting married" AJ informed him

"You _were_ getting married" Jack corrected

"I want to go home" AJ said to him sadly as she began to cry

"You are" Jack smiled "Mr. Scott has been preparing for your arrival. He's very excited"

* * *

Punk was sitting in a cell for six hours already. He was informed he'd have to have a bail hearing in the morning and in the meantime he was completely out of the loop on AJ. Was anyone looking for her still? Was she hurt? What was being done to her? How far away was she?

"Punk" the wrestling fan police guard smirked "You're out" he said unlocking the small holding cell

"How?" Punk asked

"Me" Drew Keith said walking over to him "And Michael Hayes dropped the charges"

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked bitterly

"I'm here to help" Drew told him

"Help? I asked for your help a week ago and you called me crazy" Punk reminded him "I don't trust you anymore"

"Did you ever?" Drew questioned

"I was starting to" Punk admitted "I don't trust that you're not working for Christian"

"You're upset so I'm going to let all of that slide" Drew said to him in an angry voice

"I don't give a shit" Punk spat at him "You're the reason this happened. If you would have listened to me a week ago you wouldn't have let your guard down or are you going to stick with your theory that his has nothing to do with Christian Scott?"

"Obviously I made a mistake" Drew admitted "And yes I believe this could be connected to him"

"Could be? Could be!" Punk shouted "You're damn right you made a mistake and if she doesn't come home I swear to you I'm going to quit my job and dedicate the rest of my life making yours miserable!"

"I'll bring her home" Drew promised "I'm already working on it"

"You know something?" Punk asked intrigued "Tell me!"

"Jack was spotted not far from the arena at a local gas station" Drew told him

"Of course" Punk mocked "What kind of car was he in? Was he alone? How long before AJ went missing?"

"I'm working on all of it Punk" Drew told him "I'm leaving no stone unturned"

"The first time they got their hands on her they beat her with a belt" Punk reminded him "That took only thirty minutes and the last time they got to her they almost raped her and that was having her for about ten minutes. She's been gone for hours I don't even want to imagine what has happened to her already"

"I'm not taking this lightly Punk" Drew assured him seriously "I've called in the FBI on this as well, everyone is looking for her"

"It's not good enough" Punk said to him

"You told Paul she was going to the car- we looked into that an the police found your rental keys not far from the car." Drew told him "That's probably were they grabbed her"

"I was supposed to get her phone" Punk said to him bitterly

"What do you mean?" Drew asked him

"She left her phone in the car and I told her I'd go out and get it but we got into this stupid argument!" Punk said mentally kicking himself "It was so stupid! And I gave her the keys to get her phone"

"It's not your fault" Drew said to him

"She was mad at me" Punk admitted "She misconstrued what I said and she was pissed off and hurt. I always do that shit, I always go one step to far"

"I'm sure she knows you didn't mean it" Drew empathized

"I hope so" Punk muttered rubbing the side of his head "The police out here feel if AJ's missing it has to do with me because we argued"

"They're idiots" Drew informed him

"Great I have a lot more faith now in them finding her" Punk remarked

"I already told you the FBI is here as well and they will find her" Drew said to him

"We're supposed to be getting married next Friday" Punk admitted

"Congratulations" Drew smiled warmly "You still will. AJ is one of the toughest chicks I have ever met if anyone can fight back against Christian Scott it's her"

* * *

AJ was still laying the van trying to avoid eye contact with Jack who was glaring at her the entire time.

"What did you want to be when you grew up?" AJ asked Jack

"Why?" Jack asked her

"I'm sure your childhood dreams didn't involve being an errand boy to a rich asshole" AJ said to him seriously but he didn't find it to be humorous.

"He's not an asshole Ms. Mendez" Jack scolded

"Oh no he's a saint" AJ smirked "He's not even smart- how he even made all the money has is beyond me"

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut" Jack warned

"I'm probably going to die so I'm at least going to have as much fun as I can" AJ informed him

"You're looking for fun?" Jack questioned

"I might as well" AJ said to him

"You'll have fun soon enough" Jack said to her

"When? Because this van hasn't moved in an hour" AJ said to him

"We need to pull over because they're putting up check points" Jack said to her "Who knew you were so popular"

"Where are we?" AJ asked him

"In the woods" Jack told her coolly "Once morning hits we'll switch vehicles and take off"

"Great" AJ said to him "So tell me Jack how long have you worked for Christian?"

"Twenty two years. You already know this Ms. Mendez" Jack reminded her

"Aren't you tired of doing all of his dirty work and not getting any of the glory?" AJ asked seriously as she started to push his patience

"Mr. Scott pays me very well" Jack informed her

"What's the point?" AJ asked him "You don't have a life- your life is his life. All the time I was with him you never once took a day off"

"I like to work" Jack said to her coolly

"You don't like to have fun?" AJ asked him innocently

"Trust me Ms. Mendez I have load of fun" Jack smiled

"Oh! A smile!" she smirked "I thought you didn't do that sort of thing"

"There's a lot of things I could do that may surprise you" Jack said to her eyeing her and she smiled lightly at him

"If I'm going to die I want to have fun" AJ said sitting up "With you"

"Ms. Mendez I know what you're implying and I don't have a death wish, sorry" Jack said to her

"Christian doesn't have to know" AJ shrugged "Besides he wouldn't believe me anyway. How long has it been Jack? A few weeks? Months? Maybe even years since you touched a woman? Or are you not into women?" she asked causing him to frown

"Ms. Mendez I'm going to recommend you don't challenge my manhood" Jack warned

"Of course you're not gay" AJ said brushing the thought off "I used to see you watching me" she smirked "You liked watching me, tell me I'm wrong" she challenged but he didn't respond "That's what I thought"

"I'm going to gag you" he warned

"I don't mind" she said with a cheeky smile causing him to shuffle in his seat on the bench slightly "It was you that took those photos of me in the pool right?"

"Yes" he admitted

"You watched me take my clothes my off….you watched me have sex" she trailed off "What did you think?"

"Ms. Mendez…." He warned again

"Come on Jack" she said looking up at him "Touch me" she offered "I'll touch you too" he sat there eyeing her for a moment. Jack eventually stood up and walked over to her and kneeled down so he was eye level to her. He placed his hand on her cheek and brushed his thumb lightly over her lips she opened her mouth slightly to capture his thumb seductively.

"If you mention this to anyone…I'll kill you and say it was an accident" Jack threatened "I'm not cutting you loose either"

"At least cut my legs" AJ said to him gesturing to her ankles still being bound together "I think you're really going to need to" she smiled leaning in and kissing his cheek. He stoop up now and removed his jacket and un-tucked his t-shirt before lifting AJ and placing her on the bench. He kneeled down and cut her ankles loose then quickly captured her lips with his own. He began to kiss down her neck and AJ looked like she was going to gag. She held back tears as she played the part the best she could. Jack pulled away and started to remove his shirt and once he was standing over her she lifted her leg and kicked him as hard as she possibly could in his groin causing him to hit the floor. She stood up quickly and kicked him in the head then raced to the back van doors and jumped out. She was horrified by what she saw- they weren't in the woods they were in a warehouse somewhere.

"You dirty bitch" Jack whispered into her ear grabbing her by the back of her hair "You are going pay for that" that's when AJ began to kick and scream but it was useless all she did was cause more of Jack's men to approach her and help Jack get her back in the van.


	33. Phone Call Away

**Chapter 33: Phone Call Away**

* * *

AJ was back to lying in the van with tape now back around her ankles, wrists, mouth and as punishment over her eyes as well.

"Good morning Ms. Mendez" Jack said cheerfully "How are we feeling today?" she of course couldn't respond and wouldn't even if she could. "Not as chatty huh? It could have been worse for you Ms. Mendez. I heard Pete beat you with a belt, a few kicks to the stomach shouldn't have even compared" she just remained still "I need to go out" he informed her "But don't worry I'm not leaving you alone. Standing with me are two young and eager men."

"We'll be fine boss" one voice said

"Yea she's harmless" another voice added

"Don't trust her she's sneaky" Jack warned "And don't get out of hand with her" the next thing AJ heard was the van doors open and then close again

"Hi" she heard voice say and she felt someone's warm breath against her ear "You're pretty"

"Very pretty" another voice said

"Jack said you were looking fun" he said brushing her hair lightly

"We like fun" the voice said happily "We know how to have fun" she felt someone run a hand up and down her back under her t-shirt and she flinched

"Oh come on!" the voice laughed "You were willing to give it up to Jack! And he's much older than us"

"You don't really have a choice here princess" the voice reminded her as he removed the tape from her mouth finally. "We're going to need your mouth" he then removed the tape from her eyes and his was stunned "Holy shit"

* * *

Punk was wide-awake sitting in a chair in his hotel room as he listened to Drew speak on the phone. He had no idea what the hell he was talking about all he knew was that it had been over 24 hours and he hadn't heard any news about AJ and now he was really starting to worry. Paul stayed with them as well and he ran interference with the Vince for him. They were being very understanding about Punk staying in town but Punk knew that wouldn't last for too much longer.

"I've got some kind of good news" Drew said to him "The FBI is positive they're still in state. They think they're hiding out until some of the media dies down"

"Hiding where?" Punk asked

"They're looking into locations that Scott owns out here" Drew said to him "It's only a matter of time"

"Could you imagine what they're doing to her-" Punk started

"She's strong and smart" Drew reminded him "I need to go check out a few things at the station are you ok here?"

"I'll come with you" Punk volunteered

"You can't do anything to help" Drew told him "Wait here in case she makes contact"

"Great" Punk muttered as Drew walked out

"They're getting close" Paul told him

"What if she's dead?" Punk asked Paul bluntly

"I know you don't really believe in him but god forbid" Paul muttered surprised by the outburst

"I have to think this way. You don't know these guys" Punk said to him "They're ruthless and she's all alone"

"I know" Paul said quietly

"I would do anything to trade places with her" Punk admitted "I can't lose her Paul I just got her"

"You won't" Paul said seriously

"I already feel like I did" Punk sighed taking a seat on the edge of the bed

"She's out there and she's trying to get home to you and the least you can do is remain positive" Paul scolded "She's going to need you now more than ever"

"She needed me yesterday" Punk shot at him "And I pissed her off" he said standing up "She's going to think I'm not even trying to find her"

"I highly doubt that" Paul smirked "She knows you have a shitty personality and she loves you anyway"

"I called her a bad habit" Punk admitted "You didn't see the look in her eyes Paul. She was so hurt and that's the last image she has of me"

"It's going to be fine" Paul said to him "You argued, so what? All couples do and believe me she's not going to let a stupid argument taint her love or image of you"

"If she doesn't come home I don't know what I'm going to do" Punk admitted

"You're not going to have to worry about it" Paul assured him "Now stop mopping around and start getting pissed off!" he demanded "She needs tough and protective CM Punk not sappy oh woe is me CM Punk! Man up!"

"You're right" Punk said to him and Paul nodded proudly "I'm going to march right down…." He started as Paul egged him on "….to that police station and I'm not leaving until I get some answers!" Paul now looked horrified

"No, no not the police station" Paul insisted nervously "Don't raise hell where they'll lock you up, where they already locked you up" he said to him but Punk ignored him and walked out the door with Paul reluctantly following

* * *

"Chuck look" the one guy said eyeing AJ oddly "It's her"

"Oh man" Chuck said in awe "We're huge fans!"

"We even watched your stuff in FCW!" he said to her with a smile "I'm Jesse and this Chuck" they were two young guys probably no older than 25.

"Wonderful" AJ muttered "I don't suppose you'll just let me go"

"Those guys would kill us" Chuck laughed "What did you do to piss them off so much?"

"I don't know" AJ admitted

"Hey are you really with CM Punk?" Jesse asked her and both were acting like they were meeting one of their heroes and not that they were holding her hostage

"Yea" AJ said to him and looked down and saw her ring was gone.

"That is so cool" Jesse said to her "He's my favorite"

"No he's my favorite" Chuck said to her "He likes Cena"

"Bullshit!" Jesse yelled with a laugh

"Look if you let me go I'll make sure not to report either of you. As a matter of fact I'll get you backstage passes to a show" she promised

"Jack would literally have our heads" Jesse said to her

"You two seem young and kind of nice why are you doing this?" AJ asked them

"We need money" Chuck shrugged "We've done some jobs for Jack in the past"

"I can get you money" AJ promised them "A lot of it. My fiancé will pay you whatever you want"

"CM Punk is your fiancé?" Chuck asked stunned "Holy shit!"

"He'd be really grateful to you if you got me home" AJ said hopefully

"No can do" Jesses said to her "But for what it's worth we had no idea this was you"

"I'm going to give you some bad news" AJ informed them "The man Jack works for- Christian Scott- he's going to kill you both. I know he works and you both are going to die and it's going to be painful" she said frightening them "He hires some idiots from the streets and then off's them because he doesn't trust them. I bet they only paid you half" they both nodded "Jack will kill you before they pay you your other half"

"He wouldn't do that" Chuck said to her

"Oh he will trust me" AJ said to him "If you want to live you need to get out of town and you can't get out of town without money" she informed them both and she could tell they were hanging on her every word "I can get you that money"

"Chuck" Jesses said nodding for him to join him at the other end of the van. They both started whispering back and forth and AJ knew she had them hooked. She would smile proudly but she was trying to scare them.

"If we're going to do this we're going to have move fast" Chuck said to her "And if you're lying to us about getting the money we'll kill you ourselves- fans or not"

"Just pass me your phone and I'll dial his number" AJ said to him starting to get excited

* * *

Punk was now causing a scene in the police station and Paul was just watching from a distance.

"I thought you were going to keep him calm?" Drew asked Paul

"He's over his sad phase now he's at that angry one" Paul shrugged simply "Nothing I can do about that"

"I feel like that's his constant stage" Drew muttered

"Maybe if you'd give him a little bit to go on he'd quiet down" Paul suggested

"I don't have any more information" Drew said to him

"Well that's not good enough" Paul told him simply but honestly

"I know" Drew said to him then Punk walked over "Feel better?" he asked Punk

"A little" Punk admitted

"You're not doing any good here" Drew reminded him "You're just distracting people"

"Well I'm not doing anything at the hotel" Punk shot back at him "I need to be doing something"

"I suggest you get on social media or TV media for that matter and start asking for help" Drew told him

"What?" Punk asked him

"You want her home right? The more eyes that see her picture the better" Drew told him "Of course her picture is all over the media but a big name like yours could really help. I know Vince is making an appearance on CNN tonight offering a reward even"

"Seriously?" Punk asked surprised "But everyone and their mother will be calling in trying to get the money"

"Or someone who works for Christian might be desperate enough for the money" Drew retorted "He doesn't have the money he used to and he can't pay his people like he used to. It's worth a shot" Punk's phone began to ring

"Who is it?" Paul asked

"I have no idea" Punk said answering the phone "Yea?"

"Is this CM Punk?" Chuck asked and Punk quickly hung up the phone

"Who was it?" Paul asked

"Some idiot fan got my number" Punk said not giving it a second thought then his phone buzzed again and this time it was a text message '_we found AJ_' "I hate people, I really do" he said annoyed

"What?" Paul asked

"That fan just texted me that he found AJ" Punk said annoyed

"Some fans are really cruel" Paul frowned

"Call it" Drew told him

"You want to play along with this?" Punk asked surprised

"Every lead is important" Drew said to him and Punk just did as he was told

"Punk?" Chuck asked

"I got your text message" Punk said as Drew whispered to some other officer to try to track the call

"We have AJ here" Chuck said to him

"I bet you do" Punk said annoyed

"I'm serious bro!" Chuck said "Here talk to her" he said placing the phone next to AJ's face

"Phil?" she asked and Punk's heart literally stopped beating for a moment

"AJ?" he asked stunned

"Phil bring me home" she pleaded feeling herself start to cry

"Keep her on the line" Drew mouthed to him so they could trace the call

"Baby I'll bring you home just tell me where you are" Punk pleaded

"I don't know" she cried "Some van in a warehouse-" the phone was yanked away from her

"We want one million dollars" Chuck told him

"Ok" Punk said not giving it a second thought "I can get you that" he said to him "Where can I meet up with you?"

"Stay near your phone and we'll text you with further instructions" Chuck informed him trying to sound tough but Punk could already tell whoever he was talking to was an idiot

"Ok no problem" Punk said to him

"And you have to deliver the money personally" Chuck added

"Yea whatever" Punk said to him "But just know if I go to see you and AJ isn't there or she is hurt in some way, shape or form you're not only not getting your money but I'll beat you to death" Paul thought the conversation was going so good up until that point

"She's fine" Chuck defended "You just spoke to her"

"She better stay that way" Punk warned "I want to talk to her again"

"She's tied up at the moment" Chuck said to him nervously "Just keep your phone on" then hung up

"Did you get it?" Paul asked the officer

"Not the exact location but we got a small area. It should be easy" Drew said "Where did she say she was?"

"A warehouse in a van" Punk said to him "I can just pay"

"Or we can just go get her" Drew said to him

"That sounds dangerous for her" Punk said to him "Just let me pay these idiots!"

"Punk you got us a location you've done all you could leave the rest to me and the FBI" Drew said to him

* * *

"We should probably get out of here" AJ said to them "You can't just hand me off in front of Jack"

"She's right" Jesse said to Chuck "I'll drive the van"

"Jack is gong to be back any minute" Chuck said growing nervous "This was a bad idea"

"It's too late now!" Jesse yelled

"Shit" Chuck said running his hands through his hair

"If you want your money you have to leave now!" AJ yelled

"I don't even have the keys to the van" Chuck said to Jesse

"We'll take my car" Jesses said helping AJ to her feet since she was still tied up

"Let's move now" Chuck said opening the back van doors and hoping out first then helping AJ out

"Going somewhere?" Jack asked them surprising them

"Jack" Chuck said nervously

"Well?" Jack asked "Taking our hostage out for a little walk?"

"It's not what it looks like" Jesse said starting to get nervous as two other men appeared

"Did you really think you were going to walk her out of here?" Jack asked as the man next to him pulled out a gun

"I'm sorry" Chuck said starting to cry "I'm so sorry-" he started but a gunshot rang out and AJ closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them she saw Chuck lying dead on the floor

"Oh shit!" Jesses yelled "Dude I didn't want to he made me- please" he begged falling to his knees "Please don't kill me"

"I'm not going to kill you" Jack told him and Jesse felt relief through his entire body "He is" he said nodding towards the man who killed Chuck and with that said Jesse met the same fate as Chuck.

"Oh my god" AJ cried out. She had never seen a dead person let alone two people gunned down in front of her

"Look what you did Ms. Mendez" Jack said "Tsk, tsk" he said wagging his finger at her

"They were just kids" she sobbed out

"And now they're dead" Jack said to her coldly "You are a lot more trouble than Mr. Scott said you would be" he said grabbing her by her arm and dragging her away

"Please just let me go" she sobbed as he tossed her back into the van and locked himself inside of it with her

"What happed to the seductress last night?" Jack questioned "I told Mr. Scott about your little game by the way."

"Oh good he'll kill you too" AJ muttered

"He said he wouldn't" Jack smirked "But we both know that's probably a lie"

"Why tell him then?" AJ asked him as she cried out

"Because I knew you would" Jack admitted as he removed his blazer "You want to know what Mr. Scott said to me?" he asked her "he told me that if you wanted me so badly that I should give you it…..all of me" he said unbuckling his belt

"Just shoot me" she cried out

"What happened Ms. Mendez?" he mocked "You're not so bad anymore?" he said to her "Don't worry dear I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole" he said then spat directly on her face. "And Mr. Scott did give me permission to touch you just not in that way" he said as he tugged his belt off "I think you know what's coming now right?" he asked as he folded the belt and stood over her "Beg me not do it" he demanded

"I'm not going to beg you for anything you sick piece of trash" she seethed trying to seem strong "Just hit me I don't give a shit anymore!"

"Beg!" he screamed slapping her back with the belt

"No!" she yelled and that's when the van doors swung open and there were three swat team members holding rifles

"Drop the weapon!" a man yelled and Jack complied. Two cops stepped on the van and pulled him out of it

"AJ" Drew said crawling into the van and over to her "Are you ok?"

"Get me out of here" She demanded through pain and fear

"That's why I'm here" he said with a faint smile "Someone is waiting for you"

"Is he here?" AJ asked feeling her voice soften

"I couldn't keep him away even if I tried" Drew said to her and she quickly jumped out of the van "AJ wait!" he yelled "You need to get checked out!" he yelled after her but she was racing out of the building. She looked around quickly and saw him arguing with some officer and raced towards him. He caught her out of the corner of his eye and before he could even make a move towards her she jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms and legs around him holding him as tightly as she could

"Are you ok?" he asked against her ear

"No" she admitted "But I'm getting there"

"AJ we really need you to get checked out by the EMT's" Drew said walking over to them but they both ignored him

"Give them a few minutes" Paul insisted pulling Drew to the side

"You're not a bad habit" Punk said to her surprising her

"What?" she asked slightly out of breath

"I said you were a bad habit-" Punk started but silenced by her kissing him

"I love you" she said to him resting her forehead against his

"Are you sure you're ok?" Punk asked her "What did they do to you?" he asked her

"I'm with you again nothing is wrong" AJ assured him

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he asked her seriously and she nodded "So let's get you checked out for sure, ok? Then we'll get the hell out of here and I'll take you home"

"Ok" she agreed but before she let go she pulled him back into a tight embrace. He just held her as relief ran through his entire body.


	34. Smart Play

**Chapter 34: Smart Play**

* * *

AJ was sitting on the bed in Punk's hotel room. Her knees were curled into her chest and she was resting her chin on her knees.

"You need to eat" Punk said to her gesturing to the food in the room

"I told you I'm not hungry" she said to him quietly

"Do you want to talk about it?" Punk asked her

"I already talked about" AJ reminded him

"Talk to me" Punk insisted "You spoke to the police. They wouldn't let me in when you gave your statement"

"There's not much to say" she said simply. It was like she was in a trance "I tried to stay a live and people got hurt because of me"

"What are you talking about?" Punk asked concerned taking a seat next to her

"The guy that called you was a fan" AJ said to him "I convinced him and his friend to do that. Getting money from you was my plan. I thought if they just got me away from Jack everything would be ok"

"That was really smart AJ" Punk said to her proudly

"They died" AJ whispered

"What?" Punk asked

"Jack shot them dead right before the police arrived- right in front of me" AJ said as a tear escaped her eye "I'm the reason they're dead"

"No you're not" Punk told her shaking his head "You didn't pull the trigger"

"But I loaded the gun" AJ said to him "I knew Jack would kill them and I didn't care I just wanted out"

"You fought for your own life and you survived that's all that matters" Punk insisted

"I shouldn't have done that" AJ said to him "They didn't hurt me"

"They would have" Punk said to her "People who are holding you hostage aren't good people"

"I did something else" AJ said looking over to him slowly "And I know you're going to be mad at me- but I didn't know what else to do" she cried

"I can't be mad at you. You get a free pass for the next year" Punk smirked

"You're going to hate me" AJ whispered

"Trust me I don't think it's possible to hate you" Punk promised "Tell me AJ"

"When I was alone with Jack I wanted to get away but my legs were taped up along with my hands" she said to him "I knew if I could get my legs free I could run and originally I thought we were in the woods so I had to do something, I had to try" Punk just nodded and encouraged her to speak "I flirted with him" she admitted "I let him kiss me…." Punk was surprised to say the least "….but I didn't let it get further than that- I kicked him and I tried to run I swear! I didn't like it and it was stupid…"

"I'm not mad AJ" Punk said to her softly "I think you wanted to stay alive"

"I wanted to come home to you" she told him "But I'm so ashamed of everything I did-"

"Everything you did?" Punk questioned "You are so brave and smart. You were calm and you thought things out. I'm so proud of you"

"I hate myself" she admitted shamefully

"Don't say that" Punk said to her seriously "Don't ever think that way you fought to survive you are more amazing than I ever imagined. Hopefully some of that rubs off on me"

"You wouldn't have gotten kidnapped to begin with" AJ said to him

"AJ I probably would have gotten myself killed with the way I fly off the handle" Punk said with a sigh "I lashed out at you before you got taken, I lashed out at the cops, Hayes, I ended up spending a night in a cell-"

"What?" she asked him stunned "Why?"

"I pushed Hayes" Punk told her

"You always push his buttons" AJ said to him confused

"No I mean I pushed him….literally- into a wall" Punk admitted "In front of cops"

"And he had you arrested!" AJ shouted "That's insane!"

"I don't even care anymore" Punk told her calmly "I'm over it all I care about is you and you're home safe and sound"

"We missed Raw tonight" AJ told him

"That's what you're thinking about?" Punk smirked "Vince has been very understanding and his main concern is for you. Don't worry about work right now"

"Christian is still out there" AJ reminded him

"Yea about that" Punk said to her "We're going to have to take some more precautions with you"

"Like what?" she asked

"Maybe getting you a guard when we're on the road, I really don't know yet" Punk said to her "I can't let what happened last night happen again I really don't think I could stand it"

"I heard you were very vocal" AJ smirked

"Yea a bit" Punk admitted. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"I have a few bruises" she said releasing her legs and lifting her shirt up slightly to show him some of them "After I tricked Jack he knocked me around a little but at least he didn't hit my face"

"What a guy" Punk muttered as he examined her tanned and now slightly bruised torso

"And I got whacked in the back but it wasn't that hard" AJ said

"Turn" he instructed her and turned around slightly and he lifted her shirt to her back "It's red- it won't bruise though"

"The cops got there right on time" AJ told him

"Well at least they were useful for something" Punk muttered

"You look tired" AJ noted cupping his cheek. His eyes were very baggy and glassy

"I didn't sleep yesterday" Punk told her "Looks like you didn't either"

"It's hard to sleep on a cold van floor with duct tape over your eyes" she admitted

"Over your eyes?" Punk asked

"Yea but that's ok the less I saw the better" AJ told him "Can you hold me tonight? I just want to sleep and I want to feel safe-"

"You didn't even have to ask" he said turning the light off and pulling her against his chest

* * *

The next morning Punk and AJ headed over to the police station so she could go over her statement one final time to make sure she didn't forget anything. Punk was in the waiting area when Drew Keith approached him.

"Still here?" Punk asked him

"I'm catching a flight back to Chicago tonight I just wanted to see Jack off" Drew told him

"Thank you for helping bring her back" Punk said to him shaking his hand "I owe you- again"

"You did all the work" Drew said brushing it off

"I want to see him" Punk said to him

"Jack? No way" Drew said with a chuckle

"I won't hit him" Punk said seriously

"You have a temper" Drew noted with a funny face "A bad one"

"Do you think I would jeopardize this case?" Punk asked him "Just let me talk to him"

"She's home now" Drew reminded him "Take her back to Chicago and go have your wedding"

"Oh speaking of that she wants you there" Punk said surprising him "Well I want you there too actually we owe you a lot"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" Drew grinned "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you in to see Jack"

"I just want to talk to him" Punk insisted "Come on I swear I won't touch him I just need to see he's locked up for myself"

"Five minutes" Drew warned then nodded his head for Punk to follow him. He led him down into the holding cells. "He's the last cell on left" he told him and Punk just nodded and headed down the narrow hallway.

"Hello" Punk said as he approached Jack's cell. He seemed pretty calm and collected for someone who was being sent off to prison.

"Mr. Brooks" Jack smiled "It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Better than you" Punk retorted "Why did you take AJ?"

"Why do you think I took AJ?" Jack asked her

"What the hell does he want?" Punk demanded

"I don't ask questions" Jack told him coolly "I just do what I'm told"

"Like a puppet" Punk remarked in a disgusted tone

"Like a soldier" Jack corrected and Punk let out a laugh

"Soldiers are heroic you're a thug" Punk reminded him

"How's Ms. Mendez?" Jack asked him "I enjoyed our time together"

"She's great" Punk told him proudly "She outsmarted you and your entire crew."

"I underestimated her" Jack admitted "That's why I'm here and she's back with you"

"I'm going to make sure they throw the book at you" Punk warned "I'm going to call in every favor I have, speak judge, the press- you're done"

"I'll be safer in prison" Jack told him coolly "So I should really be thanking you"

"Is he going to come after her again?" Punk asked

"I would guess so" Jack laughed "He loves her very much. I'm sure he's livid at the moment"

"Send a message back to your boys let them know if they come near AJ again I'll kill them with my bare hands" Punk threatened

"You'll never see them coming" Jack told him bluntly "I can see why you like her so much she's very funny and beautiful and her kisses are quit addictive I can see why you both are obsessed with her" he chuckled lightly

"She told me all about it" Punk shot at him "So if you're trying to piss me off well it's too late"

"She told me how she was all over me like a bitch in heat?" Jack asked surprised

"She was using you" Punk shot at him "You know that so I'm not even going to entertain your comments right now"

"Whatever" Jack shrugged "I'm not going to give you any information so I don't know what you expect from me"

"I just wanted to see you behind bars" Punk smiled smugly "First Pete now you and soon Christian Scott himself. He's lost all of his top guys"

"It could happen" Jack agreed "But at what expensive? I mean Ms. Mendez has walked away from all of these incidents but Mr. Scott won't be as gentle and believe me it will stick with her for the rest of her life"

"I'm not going to make the same mistake" Punk said to him

"Are you going to glue yourself to her?" Jack teased

"If that's what it takes" Punk replied quickly

"If he comes back and risks going to prison he'll take you out quickly" Jack informed him

"I'm not worried about that" Punk said to him "I'll be fine"

"I doubt that" Jack grinned

"Punk!" Drew yelled waving him back

"Enjoy your wedding Mr. Brooks, give your bride a kiss for me" Jack told him with a smile. Punk chose not to respond and just walked away.

"Feel better?" Drew asked as Punk approached him

"Oh yea loads" Punk replied sarcastically

* * *

AJ and Punk arrived home via Vince's personal jet. He didn't want them bombarded by media and thought it was the least he could. They were home quickly and AJ was still shaken by everything so he was going to take make sure she would take it nice and easy.

"So what do you want to eat?" Punk asked her

"I'm really not hungry" AJ said to him

"You haven't eaten in three days" Punk pointed out "You need to eat or you'll get sick then you can't wrestle"

"I know, I know I just don't think I can keep anything down. I keep seeing all that blood and it makes me so sick" she admitted

"We've got to try something" Punk told her standing his ground "What about a milkshake or a smoothie?"

"I can try" she said to him

"Cool" Punk said to her as she took a seat at the kitchen counter

"I heard you went to see Jack" she said as he moved around the kitchen

"Drew told you that?" Punk asked and she nodded

"How did that go?" she asked him

"I just wanted to get a look at him" Punk said to her "I wish I could have been locked in that cell with him for five minutes"

"You'd destroy him" AJ smirked

"I'd kill him" Punk said seriously

"So let's talk about something else, what's going on with Hayes?" AJ asked

"I have no idea and I don't even care" Punk said to her

"What if they pull your title because you hit him?" AJ asked

"Then I don't have a title" Punk shrugged "I don't need the title"

"You worked really hard for your spot" AJ argued "I'd hate to see it taken away because of me"

"It wasn't because of you" Punk promised "I've always wanted to hit that prick"

"Still" AJ groaned

"Still nothing" he laughed "I've had my moment and in all honesty work isn't my priority anymore I probably shouldn't even have the title anymore. My focus is on us"

"You love your job" AJ reminded him

"Sometimes" he agreed "But I love you a hell of a lot more" he said causing her to smile for the first time since she'd been back

"I can't wait to marry you" she admitted before he could respond the doorbell rang causing AJ to flinch in fear and drop her phone sending it crashing it to the floor.

"It's just the door" Punk assured her as he headed to the front door. AJ leaned over and started to pick up the pieces to her phone

"….no I have to see her right now!" Cliff demanded heading into the kitchen "Oh AJ" he said throwing his arms around her

"Hi Cliff" she said hugging him back

"I was worried sick about you!" he said holding her tightly "Are you ok?" he asked pulling away to examine her for any signs of injury

"I'm fine" she smiled faintly

"I am going to quit my job and take up being your guard fulltime" Cliff said to her

"No you're not" Punk said entering the kitchen with Colt

"She needs me Punk" Cliff told him "And I'm here for all of AJ's needs"

"I've had a long weekend please don't make me throw you out of my house" Punk warned with a dramatic sigh

"Hey AJ" Colt said giving her a quick a hug

"That's enough" Cliff said pulling AJ away from Colt

"Really?" Punk asked Cliff.

"I don't trust him" Cliff told Punk seriously

"Dude" Colt said offended

"I appreciate it Cliff" AJ said with a smile

"We bought food" Colt said holding up a bag and putting it on the kitchen counter

"I'm not really hungry" AJ admitted to them

"I got your favorite" Cliff grinned reaching into the back "A burger from that shitty diner around the corner and it has bacon, cheese, ketchup and mayo- just the way you like it" he said waving it under her nose

"It does smell kind of good" AJ admitted

"Just take a bite" Cliff encouraged as Punk glared at Cliff

"Ok" AJ said with gratefully accepting the food

"You'll eat for Cliff?" Punk asked

"He put it under my nose" AJ defended "Thanks guys"

"It's not much but we thought we could at least bring some food by" Colt said to her

"Speak for yourself I'm giving AJ me" Cliff smirked taking a seat next to her as he watched her eat the burger

"What did you bring me?" Punk asked them

"Um well we ate at the diner" Colt admitted

"Nothing you selfish bastard" Cliff shot at him "You already have AJ what more could you possibly want!" AJ almost choked on her food from laughter and Punk was just happy to see her loosening up

"You're right" Punk agreed with a nod

"Here" she said holding out a fry to him

"Thanks at least someone cares about me" Punk said to her as he accepted the fry

* * *

Later that night Cliff was sitting on the couch with AJ watching 'Love it or List it'

"I'm more afraid for you" Colt said to Punk as he walked back into the kitchen "Cliff might just kill you to be with your fiancée"

"It's crossed my mind" Punk said with a smirk "But I could take him"

"So seriously how's she doing?" Colt asked "I mean she just seems quiet"

"It was pretty traumatic" Punk said to him "She's so smart though. I mean I don't give her enough credit she basically got herself out"

"She is tough" Colt agreed "I heard she turned two of the men against the rest"

"Yea something like that" Punk said to her "They ended up dead she feels sick over it"

"They abducted her and she feels bad?" Colt asked seriously

"She's got a big heart" Punk shrugged

"I heard you ended up in lock up yourself" Colt said to him "According to the dirt sheets online you were sure Hayes had something to do with AJ's disappearance and beat him"

"He told the police that AJ and I were arguing which made me look guilty then implied she was a gold digger" Punk told him "I should have beaten him"

"So do you know where they were going to take her?" Colt asked him "I mean they have to have some kind of lead on Christian"

"His people aren't talking" Punk groaned "As soon as we get him this will officially be all over"

"He'll slip up" Colt told him "Most of his people are in jail. He's running out of people to hide behind"

"I went to see that Jack guy" Punk told him

"They let you in to see him?" Colt chuckled

"Anyway he said Christian would get to her" Punk told him

"He's just trying to scare you" Colt said waving it off

"Well he made some good points" Punk told him

"Clearly AJ can handle herself" Colt reminded him

"Yea but who knows what he's capable of" Punk said to him

"The guy is a coward" Colt reminded him "Everything that he has done he technically hasn't done himself. It's all people that work for him."

"I made a joke a week ago that I was going to lock her in a room-" Punk started

"You can't do that" Colt said cutting him off

"But-" Punk started

"No!" Colt said with a laugh "She'll be fine"

"Oh I know that because when I'm not with her a guard will be with her" Punk said to him

"You're going to hire someone?" Colt asked

"Vince hired someone. He's going to work shows and travel with her" Punk said to him

"Look at Vinny Mac stepping up his game" Colt laughed

"He's just afraid of all the bad press he'll get if AJ gets kidnapped again" Punk mocked

Another hour later Punk walked into the living room and AJ was sound asleep. Her head was resting on Cliff's shoulder.

"You can go" Punk whispered to him

"I don't want to bother her. She's so peaceful and beautiful" Cliff quietly told him. Punk responded by slapping Cliff upside the head "You're going to wake her" he scolded. Punk eased his arms under AJ and picked her up bridal style

"Get out" Punk mouthed to him

"But-" Cliff started

"We're going" Colt said to him dragging Cliff out the door. Punk checked to make sure they locked it then headed up the stairs with AJ and carefully placed her into the bed. He gently took off her shoes and grabbed a blanket and pulled it over her.

"Mmm" she muttered in a tired voice "Phil?"

"Yea I'm here" he said to her

"Keep me safe" she requested in a sleepy voice "I don't want to be brave anymore" he wasn't sure if she was sleeping or even knew what she was saying. He just leaned down and kissed the top of her head

"I'll keep you safe" he promised her and saw her smile faintly "I'll be brave for the both of us" he whispered into her ear as she drifted back off into a deep sleep.


	35. I'm Batman

**Chapter 35: I'm Batman**

* * *

It was the middle of the night and AJ slowly woke up. She wasn't sure what time she fell asleep it must have been nine at night. The last thing she remembered was hanging out with Cliff on the couch. She looked over to the alarm and saw it was 2:25am and now she was wide awake. She glanced and saw Punk out like a light with his arm loosely draped over her midsection. She carefully crawled out of the bed and headed into the bathroom to throw some cold water on her face. She didn't want Punk to know she was having nightmares. She looked up in the mirror at her reflection. She should be the happiest person on earth, she was alive, had her dream job and was marrying the man she loved but she still felt this dark cloud looming over her.

AJ placed both hands on the countertop while trying to sooth herself and looked up into the mirror when she heard the door open and Punk stepped in behind her.

"Did I wake you?" she asked him but speaking to his reflection

"No" he assured her as he rested his hands on her hips, curling her fingers into his t-shirt that she was sporting- only sporting for that matter. "Are you ok?" he asked her reflection

"I need you" AJ said with soften eyes

"I'm right here" he reminded her kissing the nape of her neck

"No I _need_ you" she said with a bit more urgency. She needed to feel something other than fear, she needed her mind washed of the horrific images and she knew he was the only one who could do that for her. He looked into her eyes through the reflection and knew this is what she needed. He lifted her t-shirt over her head and tossed it behind him on the floor. He palmed both of her bare breasts and pulled her blush against his chest. AJ lets her head fall back but continues to watch Punk's movement in the mirror.

While he continued to play with her chest Punk pressed his lower body against hers, grinding his growing erection against her. AJ arched her back in return and grinded her own behind against him. Her lips let a small moan escape as Punk lowered his hands back down to her hips to still her while he moved against her.

"Are you sure?" he whispered before sinking his teeth into her tanned neck

"Yes" she let out breathlessly

With her confirmation he slid his hand around to her stomach and pushed his fingers under the edge of her panties, then down to fully cup her. AJ widened her stand a little so he could have better access to her. She began to move against his hand as her eyes fluttered closed. Punk continued to tease her and she could feel that he wanted her just as much as she _needed_ him. Punk moved his free hand to her hip and with a quick jerking he tore her underwear off. He could tell she was surprised but she still didn't open her eyes, she kept them closed, as she got lost in his touch. He slid one finger between her swollen lips and began to rub her firm nub, he gave it a little pinch and her eyes darted opened as she let out a moan.

Her eyes met his again as he slid two fingers into her core and began to withdraw them a few inches then drive them back into her. AJ's knees began to buckle at the sensation but he held her firm against his body. He began to feel her muscles tighten around his fingers so he moved his thumb over her nub and began to make small circles over her and it wasn't long before she reached her peak. She was left breathless but still waiting for what she really needed.

Punk moved one his hands to his shorts and lowered them while he used his other hand to palm her back as he gently pushed her forward. AJ braced herself against the countertop as Punk moved one knee between her legs to urge them further apart.

"Please" she moaned, her pleading eyes caught his in the mirror. He slowly moved both hands to her hips and thrust into her, deep and a little rough. Punk knew he wasn't going to last long and after three storks he lets out a loud road as he pumps forcefully into her. As he spills his hot fluid into her body AJ's own body began to betray her as her the spasms of her muscles got tighter and tighter. The quiet room was filled with her moans as the waves of her orgasm flooded her body.

She was sure she was going to crash against the countertop or hit the floor but Punk's strong arms held her up.

"Are you ok?" he whispered against her leaving a soft kiss behind it and she just nodded.

"Come on" He said pulling out of her and pulling up his boxers. He reached over and picked up her t-shirt and helped it over her head. He then grabbed her by the hand and led her back into bed.

"What's keeping you up?" he asked her

"I keep having nightmares" she admitted as he crawled into the bed next to her and they were laying face to face

"What happens in them?" he asked her quietly

"I keep hearing the screams of Jesse and Chuck" AJ told him "I see their blood and brains-" she cringed as the image popped back into her head

"I'm sorry you had to see any of that" Punk told her sweetly

"I wish I could erase it" AJ admitted "I wish I could erase everything"

"Even me?" he teased lightly

"Everything but you" she corrected "I really don't think I would have survived any of this without you. You're what kept me going, you kept me fighting"

"It's going to stick in your head for a long time AJ" Punk told her honestly "But time really does heal all wounds. Soon you'll remember less"

"I just want it to all go away" she said sadly "I just want-"

"You're not alone here" he reminded her "I'm right here with you and when you have a nightmare wake me up, I want to help you through all of it"

"Just you being here helps me" AJ told him grabbing his hand and kissing his knuckles lightly

"Do you think you could fall back asleep?" Punk asked her

"Doubt it" she said to him faintly "I'll probably go downstairs and watch TV or something I don't want to bother you"

"Want to play some video games?" he offered

"I don't want to keep you up" AJ said to him

"I slept for like four hours that's the most sleep I've gotten in a long time" Punk grinned "Come on let's go play some games"

"Ok" she said with a smile jumping out of the bed

* * *

AJ was nervous when she arrived at Raw with Punk. She wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't sure how everyone would treat her or because the last time she was at an event she was abducted.

"If anyone and I mean anyone gives you a hard time tell me" Punk said to her. He had also said this to her about fifteen times earlier that day as well.

"I swear" She said to him.

"And you don't have to talk to anyone about it" Punk told her

"The only person I want to speak to is Michael Hayes" AJ said in an angry tone "I want to know what the hell was going through his mind when he basically accused you of all of this"

"Don't talk to Hayes" Punk insisted "Because he's going to upset you and then I'm really going to be locked away once I get through with him"

"AJ" Vince said approaching the two and pulled her into a hug "I'm relieved to see that you are alright"

"Thank you Mr. McMahon and thank you for offering a reward" she told him politely. The CEO still made her nervous.

"Please call me Vince and I only wish I could have done more" Vince told her with a smile "We weren't sure if you wanted to be on TV tonight or not so-"

"Maybe I'll just sit it out tonight" she said to him surprising Punk

"Understandable" Vince said to her "And I know you both are getting married on Friday and we want to try to work out some time for you guys but we'll at least need Punk on Monday"

"That's fine" Punk said brushing it off

"And if you want to join him let us know and we'll adjust the script" Vince told her and she nodded

"Thanks" she mumbled as Vince walked off

"Not ready to be back on TV?" Punk questioned "That doesn't seem like you"

"I think I'll wait for the news reports to die down a little first I don't want to steal anyone's thunder" she told him and he just nodded

"Whatever you want" Punk said as he lead her to his locker room but outside the room John Cena was already waiting "What the fuck is this?" he muttered to himself

"Hey guys" John smiled as he was them approach

"John" Punk said flatly

"AJ I just wanted to say how happy I am that you're ok" John said giving her a gentle hug as Punk just rolled his eyes and watched in annoyance

"Thank you John me too" AJ said pulling away

"If there's anything you need just let me know" John said to her

"How about you tell your girlfriend to not give AJ such a hard time as a matter of fact if Nikki could keep her hands to herself for know on I'm sure that would help AJ a lot" Punk said to him

"I heard about that" John said to him "And I spoke to her about it" he said looking back to AJ "She feels really bad about everything"

"I'm sure she does" AJ remarked with a forced smile "But it's over I obviously have bigger fish to fry" she then looked towards Punk "I'm going to head inside" she said "Bye John" and with a small wave she disappeared into the room

"She seems off" John noted with a frown

"She was kidnapped John how do you think she's feeling?" Punk mocked

"I'm sure it was rough for her but I'd hate to see this effect her work" John said to him

"Don't pretend to care about AJ" Punk groaned "You didn't give a shit when you let Hayes have me arrested"

"I didn't know what was going on" John defended

"The only reason you're here is because you want to attach yourself to the biggest story of the WWE and AJ isn't a story and I'm not going to let you use her to make yourself look good" Punk shot at him "So take your well wishes and phony concerns and get the hell out of here"

"You've had a rough week so I'll let that go" John told him trying to remain calm

"I don't need you to let anything go-" Punk started and before he could go into another rant Hunter walked over

"Our two top guys arguing" Hunter remarked "Wonderful" he smiled "John can you give us a minute?" John just nodded

"I'll see you in the ring" Punk spat as John walked away

"Try to not rip everyone's head off" Hunter encouraged

"Shove it" was Punk's cruel response "What do you want? Are you here to pretend you give a crap about AJ too?"

"You know I like AJ" Hunter pointed out "And yes I want to know how she's doing but more importantly I'm here to help"

"How could you possibly help?" Punk mocked and that's when a large figure appeared behind Hunter. Punk recognized him instantly, he was just signed to NXT.

"This is Langston" Hunter said to him

"Ok" Punk said annoyed "What of it?"

"He's going to be AJ's guard at events. Where she goes- he goes" Hunter told him

"Aren't you a wrestler?" Punk asked eyeing the large African American man

"I am" Langston nodded "But I blew my knee out playing football and it's really affecting my in-ring work so when I heard a position was available I took it"

"Is this your way of saving money?" Punk asked Hunter "I guess you people really don't give a shit about her safety"

"I'm a trained guard" Langston smirked

"Oh really?" Punk questioned

"Of course he is" Hunter said annoyed "Do you really think we'd hire just anyone?"

"You didn't hire him he already worked here" Punk mocked

"I've worked safety details before" Langston assured him "I can keep her safe and besides I already know AJ and I'm sure she'd like to have someone she knows around her"

"You know her?" Punk asked almost insulted

"From FCW" Hunter chimed in shooting Punk a glare

"I guess this is the best you have to offer us so we'll take it" Punk said in a sarcastic voice

Punk entered the locker room with Big E Langston behind him

"AJ" Punk said causing her to look up "This is-" before he could finish AJ was rushing into the arms of Langston

"Big E!" she cheered as he held her close

"Hey shorty" he laughed as Punk mouthed the nickname and made a mocking face behind their backs "Missed me?"

"So much!" She said not wanting to let go

"Hi I'm here too" Punk pointed out and she pulled away

"Phil, Langston was my buddy in FCW" AJ told him happily "He was really great to me and always had my back"

"Well that's good to know because he's your hired guard now" Punk told her surprising her

"What? No way!" She said to him "You're a wrestler you should be wrestling"

"I need to rehab my knee a bit more and guarding you will guarantee me a pay check" Langston smirked "Also it gives me time to hang out with you"

"I don't know if you've heard but it's pretty dangerous to be around me" AJ told him seriously "Ask Phil" she said to him "You shouldn't do this"

"I want to" Langston laughed "Besides I've missed having you around"

"So it's settled" Punk said to them "You're ok with this right?"

"I feel a lot better with someone I know" AJ told him and he smiled lightly towards her then turned towards Langston

"Welcome" Punk shrugged simply shaking his hand "If anything happens to her I don't care how big you are- I will kill you"

"Phil" AJ scolded

"It's fine" Langston smirked "I get it and trust me no one will get to her with me around"

* * *

Later that night AJ and Punk were back at the hotel after Raw.

"So how long is Hayes suspended for?" AJ asked him

"No idea. Not long enough though" Punk shrugged as he collapsed onto the bed "I'm so exhausted"

"Poor baby" she cooed scratching the back of his head "Just make it through tomorrow and a few after that we'll be officially married"

"I know" he smiled "We still have a lot to do"

"Like what?" she asked

"Well we have to get our license, order food, get a judge or someone to officiate-" Punk rambled on

"It's all taken care of- except for the license part" AJ told him and he looked confused "Your sisters took care of the food, they picked you up a nice new suit and they even got me a dress" she told him

"Seriously?" he asked picking his head up to look at her

"Yup. They asked me the other day if they could. They just want to help I hope you don't mind" AJ said to him

"Not at all I'm glad they did all of that" Punk said to her "What about getting someone to officiate it"

"One of your friends got ordained online" AJ told him and he nodded "How great is that?"

"Yea I mean-" then his face fell "No" He said to her quickly and she smiled "No chance in hell"

"You don't even know who it is yet" AJ smiled

"I know who it is and your goofy smile gives it away" Punk said to her seriously "Cliff is not doing it"

"Oh come on he's so excited!" AJ defended with a giggle

"I don't trust that he's not going to secretly marry you during the ceremony" Punk told her honestly as she let out a laugh.

"Stop it!" AJ warned through laughter "He loves you and wants to do this"

"He loves you more" Punk shot at her "Get someone else"

"No" AJ said firmly "He's way too excited and he's been writing his speech for days now"

"Crap" Punk muttered

"He just wants to be apart of it" AJ said to him

"I don't like it" Punk said to her

"It's one less thing for us to do" AJ said to him "As a matter of fact your sisters told me all we have to do is be dressed and they would take care of everything else"

"Fine" Punk groaned "But if he says anything stupid and blows this I'm going to punch him in the face"

"Do you think he's coming back?" AJ asked catching him off guard

"Who?" he asked innocently knowing full well who she was talking about

"Christian" AJ said to him

"No" he lied "I don't"

"How can you be so sure?" AJ asked him

"Because he's a wanted man babe" Punk reminded her "And look what happened to his little buddy Jack when he came back. He got caught"

"Not right away" AJ reminded him

"Christian Scott is who everyone is looking for. Jack was just an afterthought" Punk told her "That's why it was so easy for him to get back"

"Do you think he'll kill me?" AJ asked and now he felt a shiver run through his body

"No AJ" he said to her shaking his head "He'd have to get to you first and believe me you won't be alone- ever it's not happening"

"But if he does get to me-" AJ started and Punk sat up now

"He's not going to so forget all of this" Punk said to her "Let it go babe it's done now"

"I won't feel better until he's caught" AJ admitted

"The FBI is working on it and I'm sure Drew is too" Punk told her "The only thing you should be worrying about is how badly Cliff is going to screw up our wedding"

"I don't want him to hurt you" AJ admitted "I'm scared for you. I know you won't let him get to me and that's what scares me the most because he knows this and he'll-" she was cut off by Punk kissing her

"I don't know if you've heard but I'm Batman" Punk smirked against her lips "He's not getting to me and he damn sure isn't getting to you. If he wants you he has to come alone because he has no one anymore and trust me he'd need an army to take me down"

"Just promise me you'll be careful too?" AJ requested "I know everyone is worried about me but I can't get my mind off of you"

"Good" he teased then kissed her gently again "I'll be fine"

* * *

**A/N: So the wedding is approaching and Christian is still at large...**


	36. Love, Honor and Protect

**Chapter 36: Love, Honor and Protect**

* * *

Today was the day that Punk never imagined would come. Today was going to be the day he declared his love and devotion to only one woman. And surprisingly he wasn't nervous at all, no cold feet, no fear just excitement. Was something wrong with him? He thought to himself. He glanced at himself in the mirror of the guest bedroom where he was getting dressed and thought he looked damn good but he was more excited to see AJ. The wedding was going to be small, very small. Only a handful of people were in attendance for this evenings nuptials and he was ok with that. He had made an attempt to get AJ's family to take the trip out they weren't interested. He knew deep down it broke her heart but all that meant was that he'd have to piece it back together and he'd do it happily.

"Come in" Punk said when he heard the soft knock at the door. He was surprised to AJ sneaking into the room. She had on her short little silk robe, one that he loved so much or actually loved taking off of her. "Hey you ok?"

"Yea you look hot" She grinned. Her hair and makeup were perfect, all she needed was her dress but she didn't want him to see that at all.

"Isn't it bad luck to see each other before the wedding?" Punk asked

"I thought you didn't believe in luck" AJ pointed out as she closed the door behind her

"Good point" He agreed "You want a pre-wedding quickie?" he asked seriously causing her to roll her eyes at him

"No you perv" she said to him "I wanted to give you your wedding gift"

"You got me a gift?" Punk asked her and she nodded "We're not even married yet"

"I can't wait I'm too excited!" She admitted happily

"I think the fact that you're marrying me is gift enough" Punk replied smoothly

"You're sweet" she smirked "But no I have to show you the gift before the wedding" she told him. He noticed she wasn't holding anything in her hands and now eyed her suspiciously.

"Ok" he said removing his jacket "But we really have to make it quick because I still need to talk to Cliff about what he's going to say-"

"Put your jacket back on!" AJ laughed then turned around so her back was facing him. That's when she slowly pulled down her robe so her bare back was free, covered only by her long hair

"I don't get it" Punk admitted

"Move my hair you jerk" she giggled and he did as he was told and brushed her hair to the side- and there it was. Punk was stunned to see the name 'Punk' tattooed right on her neck. "Do you like it?" she asked anxiously since she couldn't see his facial reaction

"No, I love" he said with a broad smile running his fingers over the mark "When did you do this?"

"This morning" She said to him "Do you really like it?"

"Yes I do" he said lightly kissing the fresh mark. She then lifted her robe back up and tied it in front of her

"Are you surprised?" she asked him arching a brow

"I'm surprised, I'm flattered and honestly I'm a little turned on" Punk told her seriously causing her to grin

"I'm so glad you like it" She said kissing his cheek "I was really nervous"

"Nervous about showing me a tattoo?" Punk smirked "I do kind of wish I could have been there. I would have loved to been by your side while you got your first tattoo"

"I was actually glad you weren't there just incase I cried" she told him "But I didn't, it wasn't that bad"

"That's my girl" he said wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him "You couldn't fit _'property of_' above it?" he asked kissing her cheek lightly

"I'm pretty sure the name says it all" AJ said to him as she tilted her head to the side as he kissed down her neck

"Phil" she said to him as she felt his hands creep to her butt to pull her in even closer "We're getting married in an hour"

"I know I'm just….having fun" he said as he kissed back up her neck

"Seriously we can't" she warned but making no effort to escape him

"It's your fault" Punk defended while his hands now moved to the front of her robe "Seeing my name tattooed into your perfect skin really excited me"

"We really-" AJ started but Punk covered her mouth with his open

"No!" a voice yelled scaring both of them. They leapt apart as the intruder stepped further into the room "This is very bad" Cliff said grabbing AJ lightly by the wrist and pulling her away from Punk "Do I have to start squirting you with a water bottle as if you're some kind of a dog?"

"She came in here and jumped all over me" Punk defended causing AJ to glare at him

"AJ I went to help you get dressed and you were gone- don't scare me like that" Cliff said to her

"Yea AJ you-" Punk started then stopped "-you went to go help her get dressed?" he asked his friend

"I wasn't literally going to help her into her dress" Cliff laughed but Punk just eyed his friend "Unless you want me to?" he asked AJ hopefully

"Alright I'm going, I'm going" AJ said quickly then shot Punk her signature smile "I'll see you on the roof" she said with a wink. Cliff went to follow AJ out but Punk just grabbed him by the back collar of his shirt yanking him into the room.

"No" he scolded Cliff as if he was a dog

"But I just-" Cliff started

"Don't push me Cliffy" Punk warned

"Fine" Cliff muttered

* * *

AJ was now fully dressed and she honestly loved the dress Phil's sisters picked out for her. She wasn't big on dresses like this but it was elegant and casual at the same time. It was a long ivory silk gown, she kind of thought it could pass as nightgown but she didn't care. It didn't matter what she wore all that mattered was she became Mrs. Brooks by the end of the night. As she grabbed the single rose she was going to walk down the 'aisle' to she caught Paul Heyman about to knock on her door.

"There you are" Paul smiled warmly and pulled her into a hug "You look exquisite" he told her as he eyed her from head to toe

"Are you sure?" she asked nervously looking down at her dress "It's not really my style, I just want Phil to like it"

"Trust me sweetheart he'd love anything you were in" Paul told her sincerely "Or not in for that matter" he added with a cheeky smile

"Thank you again for doing this for me" AJ said lightly grabbing his hand "It means a lot to me that I don't have to do this alone"

"You're not alone anymore kiddo" Paul reminded her "You're not just marrying Phil but you've inherited all of us as well. And I am honored to give you away"

"I really appreciate it" AJ told him with a warm smile

"Nervous?" he asked her as he held out his arm for her to grab onto

"No. Is that weird?" she asked him

"Not at all" Paul said happily "It just means you know you're doing the right thing"

"I hope I can make him happy" AJ said to Paul who look surprised

"I've known Punk for many, many years dear and I've never seen him happy except for when he's with you" Paul assured her

Punk was on the rooftop and the few people invited were there as well. It was close to midnight and the roof was lit up with candles and even he had to admit it looked great. The way the moon was shinning tonight, the brisk cool air- it was all perfect, maybe too perfect.

"Second thoughts?" Cliff asked as he stood near Punk

"No" Punk said to him

"Are you sure?" Cliff asked him seriously as Punk just glared at him "Alright, alright"

AJ arrived at the roof with Paul and he walked her down the makeshift aisle to Punk. AJ wasn't wearing much makeup and her dress was simple but he thought she was breathtaking actually she literally was breathtaking. He watched her make her way towards him with a slightly nervous smile she hated attention on her.

"You look amazing" Punk said as Paul passed her off to Punk

"Thank you" she said blushing slightly

"Wow" Cliff said eyeing AJ "You look…."

"Get on with it and don't make me throw you off the roof" Punk warned as Cliff looked hurt, AJ just smiled.

"Right sorry" Cliff said to him "Hi everyone! You all know who I am and I have agreed to perform this wedding ceremony thankfully neither of them are traditional because I have honestly have no idea what the hell I'm doing" he told them honestly as the few people laughed- except for Punk who looked like he was going to Cliff "Anyway welcome to the day we thought would never come- Phil Brooks' wedding day. I remember when Punk had girlfriend after girlfriend after girlfriend-" Punk shot him another glare "-after girlfriend" he finished looking at Punk in the eye then back towards everyone "I would ask him is she the one? And he always laughed in my face. He told me the one didn't exist. He said it was impossible for someone to be made for him, he didn't believe in love or fate or happiness for the most part" he chuckled "That all changed when he met our little AJ" he said smiling towards her "I don't blame Punk for marrying her because I would marry her in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact how about skip all of the sappy crap and just get to the part where I ask if anyone objects?" he suggested

"Cliff" Punk warned

"Fine, kidding" Cliff said to him "Which brings me to my next point he hates that I'm in love with AJ and whenever I'd make comments about his other ladies he used to laugh with me now he just threatens to kill me"

"It's true" Punk agreed as AJ giggled

"That's when I knew I would never have AJ" Cliff told the crowd sadly "She already had Punk's heart. I personally don't see what she sees in him but eh I'm not going to judge"

"Get it on with it" Punk warned

"Ok, ok" Cliff said to him "I'm honored that I was asked-"

"Volunteered" Punk corrected

"I was honored to volunteer to perform this ceremony" Cliff corrected with a broad smile "Seriously though they're not into that sappy crap so all I'm going to say is that I love both of you and I'm truly happy for you both. You two are truly meant to be and the fact that you two found each other in this crazy messed up world makes me believe there's hope for everyone- except for me because well you kind of stole her from me dude. Another part I'm leaving out of this speech is the promise to love, honor and protect because let's be honest they've already done that for each other time and time again. They don't need to say the words when their actions show it everyday"

"I am proud to officially wed two of the strongest, generous, loving and kind of mean people I have ever met. I know pronounce you man and wife" Cliff said to them "You can kiss my bride- I mean the bride" he said with a wink towards AJ. Punk ignored it and pulled AJ into a kiss.

"Ok now you can kiss the officiator" Cliff smiled as they pulled away. AJ leaned over and kissed his cheek

"I'll kiss you alright" Punk muttered "With my fist"

"I didn't want one from you anyway" Cliff teased back then shook his hands "Congratulations" he said pulling Punk into a hug

"Thanks" Punk said happily and soon everyone surrounded them to give them their well wishes.

* * *

Inside Punk and AJ's home Drew Keith was picking on his food when Paul Heyman walked next to him.

"They look disgustingly happy don't they?" Paul smirked. AJ was sitting on Punk's lap and they were both stealing kisses from each other and gazing into each other's eyes. The complete opposite of something CM Punk would do.

"They deserve it" Drew said with a frown

"You're supposed to be happy" Paul laughed "Why are you being such a downer"

"I've got some news" Drew said to him "I just don't know how to tell them" he admitted "I really don't want to"

"That doesn't sound good" Paul said while his smile disappeared

"It's not good" Drew confirmed taking a sip of his drink "Not at all"

"What is it?" Paul asked him

"I really should talk to them first" Drew told him

"Talk to me" Paul said to him "And I'll make the call on whether you should ruin this night for them. I'm their family let me decide how to protect them"

"FBI picked up some photos" Drew started "Christian Scott is back in the country"

"No" Paul said in disbelief

"Afraid so" Drew said to him "I hate to do this to them but they have to know"

"Yea" Paul agreed "Just tell him" he said to Drew

"AJ has a right to know" Drew reminded him

"She does but let him tell her" Paul insisted. "Give him the information and let him handle it. She deserves to be happy for a little"

"She deserves to be safe" Drew retorted

"Trust me" Paul said glancing over to them "He'll keep her safe"

"Fine" Drew said to him

When Punk eventually pulled himself away from AJ he headed upstairs to use the bathroom and as he stepped out of the room Drew was waiting for him.

"You know I have four other bathrooms here right? You didn't have to wait" Punk smirked

"He's here" Drew told him and Punk knew what he was talking about instantly

"What do you mean?" Punk asked slowly

"He's back in the country" Drew told him

"Where in the country?" Punk demanded

"The picked up some surveillance photos of him arriving in Miami yesterday" Drew told him

"So I'm assuming by your face and tone that the FBI didn't pick him up?" Punk asked and Drew shook his head no "Holy fuck" he said running his hands over his face

"We're working on it" Drew assured him

"He's coming for her" Punk told him

"I know" Drew said to him "I have two officers assigned here until he gets caught"

"Comforting" Punk muttered "What am I supposed to say to her?"

"I'll tell her he volunteered" Drew offered

"No" Punk said to him "Don't mention this to her tonight. I want her to have one night"

"Phil-" Drew started

"-don't tell her" Punk said in a lower tone "She's just starting to slowly get over this Jack thing. And today is the first day she hasn't mentioned it, she's actually happy and I'm not going to ruin that and either are you"

"She should-" Drew started

"-I know what she needs!" Punk yelled "I'll worry about AJ you just worry about getting this guy before I can get to him"

"You have to tell her" Drew repeated

"And I will" Punk said to him " Just not right now. Right now she gets to be a happy bride and tomorrow she can go back to being scared of the doorbell ringing and cars backfiring"

"I'm really sorry about this" Drew said to him honestly "I wish this didn't happen especially today"

"Yea I'm sorry too" Punk mumbled as Drew walked away

"I was beginning to think you fell in" AJ said with a smile as she walked down the hall towards him "Are you ok?" she asked noting how pale he was all of sudden

"Yea" Punk said forcing a smile

"You're pale as a ghost and you're sweating-" She said nervously

"I'm fine" he said grabbing her hand and kissing it gently

"Come back down and eat something" she said still unsure about his health.

"Yea good idea" Punk said to her as he led her down the stairs.

* * *

Later that night Punk and AJ were finally alone and it was close to three in the morning.

"Did someone upset you?" AJ asked him

"No" he said quietly as he took his shoes off

"You'd tell me if something was wrong right?" AJ asked and it was as if she knew and was testing him but he wasn't going to ruin this night for her.

"Mrs. Brooks how many times do I have to tell you I'm fine?" Punk asked trying to distract her by calling her by her new last name

"Until I believe you" AJ said with a frown as Punk walked over to her and kissed her lips.

"I love your tattoo" Punk said to her as he ran his hands up and down the silk dress

"You're trying to distract me" AJ smirked and Punk was surprised by how well she really did know him

"Is it working?" Punk asked as he nipped her neck gently

"Yes" she said with a sly smile then pulled away

"What? What are you doing?" Punk asked in a disappointed voice

"I have something special for you tonight" AJ smiled as she backed away

"For me?" He asked pointing at himself and she just nodded as he smiled wide "I didn't get you a thing" he said with a laugh

"Oh you can just go ahead and take all that off" she said motioning to his clothes "I'll be out in ten minutes-"

"I'll just be here" he said pointing to the bed "Waiting!" he shouted with a laugh as she headed into the bathroom. He smiled towards the door as she closed it then frowned. Now he knew he was in deep and was already intentionally lying to her but he was far more worried about not only keeping her physical safe, but mentally sane.


	37. Wedding Present

**Chapter 37: Wedding Present**

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up and was hoping she'd be up before Punk so she could actually cook him breakfast at least without burning the house down this time. She made sure to set her alarm but it never went off. She looked and saw it was already almost eleven and she hopped out of bed racing for clothes. Punk wasn't there; she assumed he went for a run, which meant she didn't have much time to cook.

She practically slid into the kitchen but completely froze when she saw Punk in the kitchen at the counter.

"No" AJ said in a disappointed voice, she then saw a complete breakfast fest on the table.

"I'm really alarmed that 'no' was the first word out of your mouth upon seeing your brand new husband" Punk noted dropping the paper he was reading

"I wanted to surprise you with breakfast" AJ pouted

"We think alike" Punk said with a shrug "I had the same idea"

"I had an alarm set" AJ said placing her hands on her hips

"I know. I'm the one that turned it off" Punk smirked "Now come here and give me a kiss good morning" she smiled as she walked towards him and captured his lips with her own. "Hi wife" he smiled as she pulled away

"Hi husband" she grinned back

"Hungry?" he questioned "I know I am. I've been waiting for you to get up"

"You should have woken me up" she said as they both walked over to the table and took a seat

"You looked so peaceful" Punk admitted with a smirk "You kept smiling, what were you dreaming about?"

"If I tell you than it won't come true" AJ smirked pouring herself a cup of coffee

"I think that's how wishes work not dreams" Punk said to her "At least tell me if I was in your dream"

"Possibly" She teased "It was the first good dream I've had in a week"

"I noticed you didn't wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat" Punk noted placing some food on his plate

"I feel so at peace" AJ admitted with a happy sigh "As soon as we were officially married it's like this weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and nothing can bring me down" he just forced a smile knowing he was keeping something from her. His plan was to tell her this morning but he couldn't bring her down now "You on the other hand seem more miserable since putting that ring on your finger, is it cutting off your circulation or something?"

"No" he said with a small chuckle looking at the silver band around his left ring finger "This feels right I'm just trying to digest everything that's all"

"Are you sure?" she asked

"Well the truth is…" he started as he eyed her happy and hopeful eyes, he just couldn't take that away from her "…I was worried your wedding present wouldn't arrive on time"

"You got me a present?" AJ asked surprised

"Of course I did" He smirked "But it pales in comparison to your gift to me"

"I doubt that" AJ said to him "I'm sure it's completely over the top and amazing"

"Want to see it?" he asked arching a brow at her

"It's here?" AJ asked in a giddy voice

"It is" he confirmed "Got here about an hour ago"

"Ok" she said happily but he just starred at her "Well are you going to get it?"

"It's too big for me to bring to you" Punk told her simply and stood up "Come on" he said nodding his head for her to follow him "I actually put a lot of thought into this" he assured her as they walked through the living room

"I'm sure you did" she said unsurely "Where are we going?" she asked as they reached the front door

"Outside" He said opening the door and waited for her to walk out first. As soon AJ stepped outside she saw a large bus. "It's not very romantic, it's actually pretty practical but just imagine all the romantic nights we can have on the bus"

"You got a bus?" AJ asked in awe as they walked down the steps and towards the bus

"I got us a bus" he said taking the key and unlocking the door "Come take a look" he said stepping on first and she followed. It was huge.

"Holy crap" she said stunned "This looks like a five star hotel room!"

"It has everything" Punk informed her "Two bathrooms, a shower, plenty of seats, TV and the best part- an xbox"

"This is amazing!" AJ said with a smile

"We're traveling a lot and I hate cramping into a small car, we need to relax and this will help us." Punk said to her "You really like it?" he asked

"Yes it's great" she said with a smile "I love it"

"Good" he grinned

"How are we going fit into these bunks?" she asked him "We're going to have to sleep separately. Not really a fan of that" she frowned

"Oh my crazy wife" Punk sighed walking to the back door on the bus "This is the main attraction" he said pulling the door back to the main bedroom. It had a huge bed and a connecting bathroom "This is where we'll be sleeping"

"Wow" she said happily jumping onto the bed "It's so comfy" she said running her hands over the fabric and mattress

"Is it?" he asked pushing the bed down with his hand

"Come here" she said extending her arms to him to invite him onto the bed but instead of moving onto the bed he moved onto his wife, pressing her further into the mattress.

"You're right this is comfy" he said seriously

"You haven't even felt the bed yet" AJ reminded him

"Well this is how I plan on sleeping every night" Punk told her seriously as he nipped his lips gently

"You'll squash me" AJ giggled as Punk pressed his lower body into hers

"I'll be gentle I swear" Punk promised kissing her lips again only this time he didn't pull away and neither did she. It wasn't long before Punk pulled down her night shorts and his own boxers, christening their new bus already.

* * *

Later that day Punk and AJ were packing up for the next set of shows. And he still hadn't told her about Christian being back. He just hadn't found the right time yet.

"This feels wrong" Punk said to her "We should be packing for a long two week honeymoon not for work"

"We'll get the time eventually and besides that bus really helps things" AJ said to him

"You really like it?" Punk asked her

"It's seriously great. I can't believe you never had one before" AJ noted as she folded up some shorts

"I don't like to really spend money" Punk admitted

"Really?" she asked with a laugh holding up her engagement ring

"I like spending it on you" Punk corrected "Which is why getting the bus was easy for me"

"My gift sucks in comparison" AJ pointed out

"Getting my name tattooed onto your body where it will be for the rest of your life isn't only really romantic it shows just how much you love me and how much you believe in us. You can't put a price tag on that" Punk said to her

"You got my lips tattooed on you like a month after we started dating" AJ reminded him

"I have a lot of tattoos" Punk shrugged "Each one means a lot to me but this was your first and only it really says something"

"I'm glad you approve" AJ said to him "But I just can't get over the bus" she marveled causing him to smile lightly to himself, he was glad she loved it so much "What are we going to do with all of those bunks?"

"Well obviously I want Langston on the bus while we travel" Punk told her

"I don't think he'll fit in one of the bunks" AJ smirked "Besides I think it's all going to be ok" she told him optimistically "I think we've seen the last of Christian Scott at least for a long time. I mean I'm married now there's nothing he can do or say that will change that. Why risk coming back here for nothing?" she asked him with a laugh

"Yea" He muttered "Look about that" he started

"Yea?" she asked noticing he stopped talking

"I really need to tell you…" he said eyeing her carefully and saw she was still so upbeat "….that I think Langston on the bus with us is a good idea. Just for now"

"Ok whatever makes you feel better" AJ said with a laugh "I'm going to get the laundry" she announced then walked out of the room leaving Punk to mentally kick himself.

Punk and AJ were lounging on the couch watching an 'Office' marathon. A show that he didn't really like but she adored.

"Have you noticed the cop car outside?" AJ bought up casually

"What?" Punk asked her trying to ignore the question

"I saw it out there this morning when we went to the bus and when I looked out the window before it was still there" AJ said to him

"Drew said he'd have cops in the area until Christian was caught" he told her simply "So what's this guys deal?" he asked pointing to the TV hoping to get her attention away from the cop car

"Dwight?" AJ laughed "He's in love with paper and Angela"

"Who loves paper?" Punk mocked "And why does he look like that?"

"I happen to think he's very sexy" AJ told him proudly as he looked down at her

"Him?" He asked gesturing to the TV "The nerd with big glasses?"

"He is not nerd!" AJ defended "And he's wonderful. If I hadn't have met you I totally would have married him"

"You do realize this is all scripted, right?" he asked his wife

"I bet there are tons of Dwight K Shrutes in the world" AJ said to him

"So it was either me or someone like him?" Punk asked her and she nodded "You are so strange"

"I happen to-" AJ started but stopped when the doorbell rang "I'll get it" she said standing up but Punk shot up out of his sight and darted past her to the door

"I got it" he said opening the door to reveal Drew Keith

"Hey" Drew smiled "Can I come in?"

"Yea" Punk said stepping aside to let the detective in

"Hi Drew" AJ said to him "Is everything ok?"

"Yea I just wanted to give you an update on Christian" Drew told her

"Babe could you grab me a bottle of water? And one for Drew here?" he asked

"Yea but don't start without me I want to know everything" AJ warned before turning and heading into the kitchen

"You didn't tell her?" Drew asked surprised

"No not yet" Punk said to him

"You said you would!" Drew hissed in a low voice

"She's too happy I'm not blowing that now" Punk informed him "Don't say anything about it"

"She has to know-" Drew started

"No she doesn't" Punk shot at him "Don't kill her spirits, Christian has done that to her enough times already"

"Here you go" AJ said walking over to them and passing each one a water bottle "So what's the update?" she asked Drew folding her arms and he glanced towards Punk who had a down right threatening glare on his face

"That there really isn't an update" Drew said with a nervous laugh "I just wanted to let you know I'm still working on it though"

"You came all the way down here to tell us that?" AJ laughed "You're really dedicated"

"Yup" Drew said glaring towards Punk

"And we know you're doing everything you can" AJ assured him

"I'm trying" Drew gritted out "Also I wanted to just see how married life was treating you both"

"It's great!" AJ squealed "Did you see the bus Phil got me?"

"I did notice the bus" Drew said to her

"How about I show you it" Punk offered "I'll be right back AJ"

"Ok, goodnight Drew" AJ said to him and he just waved goodbye to her

Punk offered to escort Drew to the bus simply because he wanted the update on Christian himself.

"So what do you know?" Punk asked anxiously

"He's near" Drew informed him and Punk just nodded "You're awfully calm"

"We're leaving first thing in the morning for a show" Punk said to him "We'll be gone all week because we have a pay-per view on Sunday"

"That's actually reassuring" Drew said to him "I doubled up on security here just so you know"

"She noticed the cop car" Punk said to him

"Well now she'll see two of them" Drew said to him "You really should tell her"

"I am" Punk said to him "Just not yet"

"When?" Drew asked

"When you catch him" Punk shrugged as Drew just rolled his eyes

"At least for her own safety she should know" Drew argued "She needs to keep an eye out"

"She's had an eye out ever since she broke up with him" Punk said to him "She won't be anywhere I'm not"

"Ok what about at the shows and you go out to work?" Drew asked him

"She has a guard at events now and I'll tell him" Punk told him

"So everyone is going to know but her?" Drew asked him

"I'm going to protect her just like I promised but I'm also going to keep her happy" Punk said to him

"I don't think you could do both" Drew informed him

"Watch me" Punk said confidently "So you think he's here in Chicago?"

"Probably" Drew told him "He went through a camera light that we picked up on. It was an hour away"

"How long ago?" Punk asked

"Three hours ago" Drew informed him

"You're going to keep me updated on everything right?" Punk asked and Drew nodded

"Of course" he assured him "But I can't stress how important it is that she knows."

"Great. Catch him soon, will ya?" Punk mocked before turning and walking back into the house

* * *

The next morning Punk was loading up the bus and talking to the driver. He didn't want to have to make any stops for security reasons and gave the drive the low down on some of what had been going on. Thankfully the driver understood and assured Punk there shouldn't be any detours or issues.

"He seems nice" AJ said to him as she stepped onto the bus with him

"Yea" Punk agreed "You have everything?"

"Yes" AJ said to him. They stopped at the local deli for coffee and the newspaper first so they were ready to go. The bus took off and it only take AJ a few minutes to get the game system on. "Are you sure you don't want to play?" she asked her husband as he watched her dominate in grand theft auto.

"No, no I'll play when you're sleeping" Punk said to her as he began to open the newspaper

"Jealous?" AJ teased

"It's really scary how good you are at video games. Especially these very violent games" Punk noted honestly "And you would put me to shame"

"At least you admit it" AJ said turning to focus back on the TV. Punk just smirked as he looked at the headline of the paper.

**_'Local Chicago Detective gunned down two months after reinstatement'_**

Punk looked at the accompanying photo and saw Drew Keith's photo. He read the article at least three times. He was shot in his car before entering his house at around 10pm and they had no suspects. It must have been right after he left Punk and AJ's. He bit on his lower lip as he looked over to AJ. He felt bad for the Detective who he had grown to like over the passing weeks. He was only one of the only cops Punk had trusted. Now he'd be battling Christian all alone.

"AJ" Punk started as she paused the game to turn and look at him. It's like she paralyzed him every time he tried to speak to her.

"Yes husband?" she smirked tilting her head in an adorable way

"Um I really-" Punk started as he eyed her carefully

"What?" she asked with a laugh

"I really want a turn now" he said folding the paper so she couldn't see the headline and tucked it into the kitchen bench casually so she wouldn't notice.

"You know I'm only going to embarrass you" she smirked

"I was hoping you'd go easy on me since I am your husband" he teased standing up and walking over to the couch where she was seated

"Fine you can have a turn" AJ said handing him the controller "Don't screw up my scores or you're really going to have me second guess this whole marriage thing"

"Ouch" Punk laughed "Don't worry sweetheart I am damn good at games- well everything actually" he finished off smugly


	38. Weak

**A/N: Hello everyone! Just wanted drop a line and thank everyone for their reviews they do mean alot to me! Also I know a few of you love rooting for the bad guys, I do too so don't feel bad ;) And off topic but how amazing was that AJ match last night? She didn't win but she stole the show so bravo to the Queen for having a five star match! Let's not all speculate, jude or assume anything as far as AJ staying with WWE. She's a private person so let's try to respect that. Anyway more to come soon, enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 38: Weak**

* * *

The bus ride went very smoothly and AJ enjoyed playing Punk in games in all day until she finally passed out in the spacious bed. Punk on the other hand couldn't sleep even if he tried. The guilt of not telling AJ was eating at him and he knew the longer he waited the worse it was going to be. He was also feeling bad for Drew. He didn't know the man well or long but he did save his life and more importantly saved AJ twice. Now one of their biggest supporters in the war against Christian was dead and gone. He felt alone in this now and he didn't want burden anyone especially AJ with any of this.

Once they got to Raw AJ was anxious to show off her new ring and gush about their small wedding. He watched from a distance as she chatted with Celeste and Eve.

"She seems to be in good spirits" Paul noted coming up behind Punk

"She is" Punk confirmed "She's happy, healthy and completely at ease for a change"

"I'm glad she took the news of Christian so well" Paul said to him

"How did you know that?" Punk asked alarmed

"The cop told me at your wedding" Paul said to him

"AJ doesn't know so don't go around telling people anything" Punk warned

"What?" Paul asked surprised "How could you not tell her?"

"That's how" he said pointing to AJ who was laughing hysterical at something Celeste said

"Phil" he started using his birth name just so he knew how serious he was being right now "You can't keep this from her you have got to tell her right away"

"I don't have to do anything Paul" Punk mocked "Whether she knows or not it doesn't change anything."

"Her safety is at risk" Paul reminded him "I can't believe you of all people are being so casually about this"

"You think I'm being casual about it?" Punk asked "I haven't slept in forty-eight hours. I have been up around the clock watching her"

"And what good are you going to be to her if something does happen?" Paul asked him harshly "You're not sleeping, you look like crap- someone tries something with her your body won't be up for it"

"Oh it will" Punk assured him

"You need to tell her" Paul repeated firmly "For your own sanity at least!"

"I don't care about my sanity" Punk shot at him "I care about hers"

"That Detective told me he was going to tell her" Paul told him "I think she'd rather hear it from you"

"He's dead" Punk informed him as Paul's face turned to a horrified one "He was shot this morning"

"That's horrible" Paul said as Punk nodded as he kept his eyes on AJ "Do they think it was Christian?"

"I don't know" Punk shrugged

"Do you?" Paul asked

"Probably" Punk said to him

"This is serious" Paul said to him "Tell AJ or I'm going to"

"Paul" Punk warned

"And then I'm going to Vince personally" Paul shot at him "I don't care if you hate me as long as you're not dead or her"

"I'll talk to her" Punk assured him "Right after the show"

"That's when I'll talk to Vince" Paul told him

"Just let her have the rest of the night" Punk said to him and Paul nodded

"Hey" AJ said skipping over to them "I have the best news ever!" she squealed "Well it's half bad half good"

"Don't keep me in suspense" Punk said forcing a smile as Paul just listened to her ramble

"Eve is leaving" AJ told him "And she has to drop the belt and she said early talks with creative is pointing to me!"

"Holy crap" Paul said with a smile

"They haven't decided yet because I'm so new-" AJ started

"You're the best one here" Punk said cutting her off "They would be stupid to not give you the title"

"I don't want to get my hopes up but I'm really excited to even be considered" AJ smiled and noticed both men didn't seem too happy "What's wrong? You don't think I could pull it off?"

"No of course you can" Paul said plastering a large smile on his face "This is great news"

"I have to be honest these last few days have been the best of my life" AJ said happily "I can't wait to see what's going to happen next"

"Excuse me" Paul said feeling uneasy himself. He now understood Punk's dilemma.

"Look after the show I really have to talk to you" Punk said to her

"About what?" AJ asked

"I don't want to get into it now" Punk said to her seriously and now she was worried

"You're scaring me" AJ said to him folding her arms "Did I do something-"

"No it's not about you or us" Punk said pushing those fears out of her head quickly "I've got to go warm up but make sure you stay with Langston, ok?" he questioned and she nodded. He gave her a kiss on the forehead then walked away leaving her worried.

* * *

"I just don't get it" AJ said to Langston inside of Punk's locker room "All of this great stuff is happening and he looks like he's being tortured"

"I'm sure you're overreacting" Langston smirked

"He seemed happier before we got married" AJ confided

"You've been married for what? Three days?" he said with a chuckle "He's adjusting. He wouldn't have married you if he wasn't sure and he told you that it had nothing to do with that so stop driving yourself crazy"

"What if he's realized I'm not enough?" AJ asked Langston who looked at her like she was crazy

"What the hell are you talking about?" Big E asked her seriously

"I'm not like any girl he's ever dated" AJ started off "I'm younger, less experienced, I'm clearly a danger magnet and he's world has been turned upside since he's met me"

"He loves you" Langston told her seriously "Trust me the guy would die for you in a heartbeat. I seriously doubt he's having second thoughts"

"Then what is it?" AJ asked him and he just shrugged even though he knew what Punk had to tell her. That's when her phone started to ring.

"Who is it?" Langston asked

"Nosey much?" AJ smirked before answering it "Hello?"

"Mrs. Brooks?" the voice asked and that caused AJ to smile. No one had formally addressed as that yet

"Yes this is she" she said cheerfully

"Hi this Detective Jacobs from the Chicago PD" he started off "I'm going to be overseeing all of Detective Keith's cases and I wanted to know if you and your husband could come in to see me so we can discuss the Christian Scott case. There's a lot of holes in Drew's notes and I need help filling in some of the blanks"

"Why are you taking over his cases?" AJ asked him

"Oh I'm sorry I thought you would have heard by now" the detective said to her "Detective Keith was killed last night"

"What?" AJ asked horrified "How?"

"He was shot outside of his home" he told her "And yes we do believe Mr. Scott is involved but we're keeping it out of the press for now"

"Wait….how could he be involved? He's gone?" AJ asked him

"He's in Chicago Mrs. Brooks" the detective informed her "Detective Keith has it written he spoke to your husband last Friday about it. And your home was his last stop before he was killed so we want to know what was discussed there as well"

"Oh my god" AJ said slowly

"I'm sorry I thought you were aware of all of this" The detective told her

"Um it's fine" AJ said to her "We're out of town until Thursday" she told him

"That's fine" he told her "Just come in on Thursday and use this number I called you on to let me know what time"

"Sure" she said quietly then hung up

"What's up kid?" Langston asked but AJ just glared at him

"I have to go see Phil" AJ said to him walking to the door and he quickly followed her

"Can this wait?" he asked her knowing what was going on "He's about to have a match-"

"His match isn't for another hour" AJ reminded him bitterly as she stormed down the hall and found him talking to Paul as he stretched near the gorilla

"AJ-" Punk started looking up to see her angry face

"How long were going to continue lying to me?" she demanded

"You told her?" Punk asked Langston

"You knew?" she asked glaring towards Big E

"AJ listen-" Punk started standing up

"No you listen" AJ shot at him "How could you keep this from me?"

"I wanted to tell you I really did and I was going to tonight" Punk told her honestly "I just didn't want to upset you"

"Oh great excuse Phil" AJ spat "I'm glad you waited so long so I could hear it from a Detective from Chicago. He went on about working Drew's cases and Christian and I had no idea what the hell he was talking about! Drew was our friend; he was at our wedding for crying out loud! How could you not tell me any of this?"

"I just wanted to wait until I had some more confirmation" Punk said to her quietly

"You didn't think the man working the case being shot to death was enough confirmation?" she mocked "We've been married for less than a week and you've already lied to me"

"I wasn't lying-" Punk started

"I have been asking you for days what was wrong and you told me everything was fine" AJ said pointing at him angrily "I told you how I felt Christian was gone for good and I felt safe and you just let me ramble on! You must think I'm some kind of a moron"

"No AJ" He started

"Really AJ he was just looking out for your best interest" Paul chimed in

"Oh so you lied to me too?" AJ questioned "Someone else I trusted. Anyone else know? Or was I the only one who didn't know"

"You're overreacting" Punk informed her "I was going to tell you I just wanted you to enjoy yourself a little first"

"It's not even the fact that you lied to me that hurts so much" AJ said to him honestly "It's the fact that you clearly didn't think I was strong enough to know any of this. So all the times you told me how strong and brave I am was all bullshit too"

"You told me you were sick of being brave" Punk pointed out a low voice as he started to grow angry "And I told you that you didn't have to be anymore that I would take care of everything so that's what I did. If you don't like it too bad" he seethed "I'm not going to apologize for having your best interests at heart"

"Of course you won't" she mocked "I can't even look at you right now" she spat

"You better suck it up because we're working together tonight!" Punk shouted as she stormed down the hall with Big E following closely behind

"You were doing so good" Paul noted "And then you blew it right at the end"

"I'm not wrong" Punk defended "What are you looking at?" he asked a producer who nervously jogged away

* * *

AJ accompanied Punk along with Paul for his match of the evening and everything went well. Punk actually assumed since she was so affectionate to him onscreen she was starting realizes how he was right. But as soon as they stepped behind the curtain she stormed away.

"You're really going to be like this?" Punk asked following her towards the locker room but she didn't respond to him as she reached the locker room "AJ-" he started to follow her in but she stopped him and passed him his bag "You're throwing me out of _**my**_ locker room?"

"I can always leave" she suggested simply with an arrogant shrug "I mean if you don't mind me going elsewhere. I'm assuming you'd rather me stay locked up in the private room because you know how fragile and helpless I am" Punk just sucked in a breath in an attempt to remain calm and snatched his bag from her

"Fine" Punk said trying to hold back "But when-" he started but she slammed the door in his face before he could finish

"Give her some time" Big E suggested walking over to him

"I'm not wrong here" Punk defended to him "And I really don't want her alone"

"Well I wouldn't say that too loud or she might come back out here and hit you" Langston smirked

"You're going to stay with her right?" Punk asked him

"Yea as soon as she's done getting changed I'll go back in. Hopefully she lets me in" Langston told her

"I don't have time for these games from her. She can be pissed all she wants but there is no way she's going to start messing around with security" Punk said loud enough hoping she heard that. He banged on the door loudly "You hear that AJ?!" he shouted annoyed but the next thing him and Langston heard was a loud noise hitting the door. Probably one of her shoes or possibly a metal chair. Both cringed slightly.

"Good luck" Punk muttered

"Great you piss her off and now I'm going to be the one dodging punches and objects" Langston said to him

"Maybe she'll get it all out of her system" Punk smirked and that's when they heard another noise hit the door. "Make sure you take her to the bus right after. You're traveling with us to SmackDown right?"

"Hell yes. I can't wait to lounge around on that dream bus" Langston said to him "Don't worry I'll get her there even if she's kicking and screaming"

"Good man" Punk said slapping his shoulder then walked away and headed to the men's locker room

* * *

Once Punk made it back to the bus Big E was already on the couch eating a bag of chips.

"How is she?" Punk asked "Still pissed?"

"I don't know" he said to him with a shrug "She hasn't spoken to me but the good news is that she stopped throwing things"

"This is ridiculous" Punk muttered "She's in the bedroom?" he asked

"Yup" Langston told him and watched as Punk stepped into the small bedroom and closed the door behind him. The lights were off and AJ was already under the covers with her back towards him

"AJ" he said to her "You can't ignore me forever"

"I don't think you'll like anything I have to say so it's best I don't speak at all" AJ said to him coldly

"I'm sorry ok" he said annoyed "I shouldn't have lied but I thought it was the right thing to do"

"How could you think that?" AJ asked sitting up and turning around to face him "You didn't think you had some sort of obligation to speak to me about it? This doesn't only affect my safety but yours as well. I'm not just your girlfriend- I am your wife, I'm your partner and you don't trust me"

"Don't put words in my mouth" Punk warned

"What else am I supposed to think Phil?" she asked him "You didn't trust me with such crucial information because you think I'm weak"

"No AJ" he said firmly shaking his head

"Christian used to think about me that way" she reminded him

"Do not compare me to him" he warned her in a low voice

"It's true!" AJ shouted "He kept me away from wrestling because he didn't think I was strong enough, he told me I was weak and that's how treated me and that's how you've been treating me"

"I don't think that" Punk said not realizing this is how she really felt "I could never think that, I wouldn't have married you if I thought that. I just wanted to protect you"

"That's very admirable of you but you don't have to" AJ said to him "I don't need to be locked away in a cabinet like a china doll. I know I've had a lot of bad things happen to me over the last year but I've come through every single one of them"

"I know" he agreed softly

"With the help of you" AJ added "You make me strong and the fact that you didn't think I could handle this really hurts me."

"That was the last thing I ever wanted to do" Punk admitted honestly "I've been keeping this from you so you wouldn't be hurt. I know you're strong but you have to understand that I want to protect that I have to- you're my wife it's my job. Call me old fashioned but it's the way it is. I need to feel like I'm doing something to help you"

"Holding me when I need it helps" AJ said to him softly "Waking me up from a nightmare helps, replacing all the bruises with your gentle touch helps me. But lying to me does the exact opposite."

"I went about it wrong ok" he said finally realizing that she was right herself "What can I do? How can I make this up to you?"

"I want you to tell me everything" AJ said firmly "And I want you to promise me you'll never lie to me again like that again"

"I promise" He said walking over to the bed and taking a seat on the edge of the bed "Promise me something in return?"

"Ok" AJ agreed

"You're going to take this seriously" Punk said to her "I know you want to be independent and I know you want to stand up for yourself but you have to take all the safety precautions and keep me in the loop"

"Of course" she said to him "I would never keep something like this from you I know how much it would hurt you if I did" she said taking a subtle stab at him

"I love you" Punk said to her seriously "I love you more than I ever thought was possible and my instinct is to protect you and I want to do it anyway possible even if you don't like it but I promise I'm going to get better at it. I just can't stand to see you have to go through something like you have again. It literally hurts my heart to see you in pain."

"I know" she whispered cupping his cheek and giving him a sad smile. He gently removed her hand and placed a kiss over it "I love you too"


	39. All Eyes On You

**Chapter 39: All Eyes On You**

* * *

On Wednesday Punk and AJ arrived back in Chicago. She wasn't mad at him over the Christian thing anymore, at least if she was she was doing a good job of faking it. But he was sure she saw it his way. He had never folded and apologized like that to anyone before and even though he still felt he was in the right he _was_ sorry for hurting her feelings.

"So what are the plans for the week?" AJ asked him once they unpacked

"Well we have to be back on the road Saturday so I figured we could work out a little" he told her as they headed down to their home gym.

"And?" AJ asked

"And we then I thought we could watch more of that horrible show you love so much" Punk said to her

"Love it or List it!?" she asked happily

"Um no the other one" Punk informed causing her to frown

"You'd love it if you gave it a chance" AJ scolded

"Right" he smirked

"Can't we go out?" AJ asked him "Like to the movies?"

"Um" Punk started as scratched the back of his head

"Seriously? We can't even go to the movies now?" AJ asked him annoyed

"I don't trust it AJ" Punk admitted

"So we're going to live in here forever and only leave when we have to work?" AJ asked

"Of course not" Punk assured her "It's just so soon and last time I let my guard down so quickly after a threat emerged you ended up tied and gagged in the back of a van"

"I won't leave your side" AJ assured him "I really want to see the new x-men movie" she said to him

"Fine" Punk said to her as she clapped in victory "But no sneaking off" he warned

"Where would I go?" she asked with a laugh

"I mean it AJ I don't even want you using the bathroom" Punk told her seriously as she just rolled her eyes.

"Yea, yea, yea" she mocked "I have to go upstairs and grab my towel can I do that alone or are you going to escort me to do that too?" she teased

"You promised you'd take this seriously" he reminded her

"You're right I'm sorry" she said to him "I'll be right back"

* * *

As soon as AJ headed up the stairs she heard a knock at the back kitchen door and saw a man standing outside. Her fist instinct was to open it but she knew better.

"I'm Detective Jacobs" he said holding up his badge to large glass door "We talked on the phone I believe" he smiled as AJ opened the door for him

"Sorry" AJ said stepping aside to let him in

"You can never be too careful" Detective Jacobs assured her "You must be Mrs. Brooks" he said extending his hand

"Yes please call me AJ" AJ replied politely accepting his hand

"Only if you call me Dan" He smirked "Lovely home you have" he said glancing around the kitchen

"Thank you" AJ said to him "I thought we were going to meet up tomorrow morning?"

"We were but I really wanted to introduce myself and at least find out what Detective Keith was discussing with you the night he was killed" Dan said to her

"Well he really didn't talk to me. He spoke mostly to my husband" AJ told him

"Is he home?" he asked looking around again

"Yes" AJ said to him "He's downstairs I'll go get him"

"Before you do that I just want to assure you I'm doing everything in my power to catch Mr. Scott" Dan informed her

"I'm sure you are" AJ said with a forced smile as Dan just smiled admiringly at AJ

"Hello" Punk said stepping into the kitchen. The hint of annoyance was evident in his voice upon seeing the stranger in his kitchen- alone with his wife

"You must be Phil" Dan said extending his hand to Punk now "I'm Detective Jacobs"

"You have a badge?" Punk asked not accepting his hand and the man smiled

"Of course" he said pulling out his badge for Punk to see "Sorry for dropping in unannounced but I needed a rundown of the last meeting you had with Drew"

"Sure" Punk said to him

"Can I get you anything?" AJ asked him "Coffee?"

"That would be great" Dan smiled warmly at her

"How do you take it?" AJ asked

"Black" he told her as he watched her walk across the kitchen "You need it for this kind of job" he smirked towards Punk who just nodded

"So you had some questions?" Punk asked grabbing Dan's attention

"Yes" Dan said looking towards him "I was just wondering about the nature of your last conversation"

"Really?" Punk mocked "You can't figure that out?"

"Obviously it was in relation to Mr. Scott" Dan smirked "Anything specific?"

"It was a three minute conversation" Punk told him simply "He came over told me that he was positive Christian was in Chicago and told me he upped patrol which I noticed isn't here now"

"We weren't aware you were home we'll have a car down here as soon as possible" Dan told him

"How come only when we're here?" Punk asked "Last time he got into our house it was while we were out"

"He won't repeat the same plan" Dan said with a laugh

"You're an expert on Christian Scott too?" Punk questioned in a sarcastic tone

"No not like Drew was" Dan said to him "But I've done my homework"

"We're here!" Cliff yelled with a laugh as Punk heard the front door open and then close

"Excuse me" Punk said stepping away

"Whose that?" Dan asked

"Friends" AJ said walking over to him with a cup of coffee "Here you go" she said passing it to him and when he did his hand brushed AJ's

"Thanks" he said to her with a grin "Do they have a key here?"

"Yea" AJ said quickly as she stepped away and walked back across the room

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Dan asked "You don't know who Christian Scott can afford to buy"

"These men are some of the best I know" AJ assured him as she turned around surprised he was so close to her

"Look I know you're scared" He said placing the coffee on the counter

"I'm actually pretty ok" AJ said to him honestly "I'm not afraid of him anymore"

"Drew wrote you were a very strong woman" Dan said to her "He was very right he did leave out how beautiful you were though"

"He was a really good man" AJ said to him seriously "I feel terrible for what happened to him"

"He was my partner" Dan admitted "Before he lost his job a few years back. We went to the academy together and after he quit we lost touch."

"So you two were close?" AJ asked

"He was like a brother" Dan said sadly "I gave up on him though. I'll always regret that"

"What do you mean?" AJ asked curiously

"After he got fired he was far to obsessed with Christian Scott. It consumed him and I kind of gave up on him" Dan admitted with the regret evident in his voice "I'll never forgive myself and the truth is I volunteered to take over his case work because selfishly if I get Scott I know it would ease some of my guilt"

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it" AJ said to him, Dan looked into AJ's eyes and gave her a faint smile

"Look I don't really do this sort of thing-" he started but stopped when heard another voice enter the kitchen

"Who the hell are you?" Cliff asked entering the kitchen

"He's a cop" Punk said walking in behind him

"Name, badge number and social security card" Cliff said to the man seriously

"Cliff" Colt hissed in a whisper "He will arrest you"

"He's way too close to AJ" Cliff said pointing the two and Dan quickly stepped back turning a slight shade of red "Well?"

"I don't have all of that on me at the moment" Dan said with a laugh "I have to get going but we'll pick this up tomorrow down at the station" Punk nodded as the man walked towards the back door "Nice meeting you guys and thank you for the coffee April" he said with a wave then left

"He seems alright" Colt said about the young blonde Detective who walked out of the kitchen

"I didn't like him" Both Punk and AJ said at the same time and both gave each other a confused look

"Scary" Cliff noted "They're morphing into one person" he said seriously to Colt

"Why didn't you like him?" AJ asked

"Because he was checking you out" Punk told her honestly "He had the balls to walk into my house and look at my wife" he spat "He's lucky he's a cop"

"The nerve of a man speaking to your wife making eye contact" Colt mocked with a laugh

"He wasn't looking at her eyes" Punk said glaring towards Colt

"That son of a bitch" Cliff muttered

"I think you're over reacting" Colt laughed

"No" AJ said to him in an almost unsure voice "I got a really weird vibe from him as well. As soon as Punk walked out of the room-"

"Did that bastard touch you?" Cliff demanded

"No" AJ said with a laugh "But he did kind of invade my personal space and told me I was beautiful"

"Oh really?" Punk asked her seriously

"He actually made me really uncomfortable" AJ admitted "And he called me April when he left when he came in he called me Mrs. Brooks then AJ. No one calls me April except for….well maybe that's why I didn't like him" she said thinking about it

"No you're right something was off about him" Cliff agreed "He was eyeing you up when I walked in here"

"He thinks you guys could have been bought by Christian by the way" AJ laughed as she poured them both a cup of coffee

"What!" Colt shouted

"He said anyone could be bought by him" AJ said to him

"Maybe he's been bought by him" Punk said to her

"I don't think so" AJ said to him "He went through the academy with Drew and told me this story about how they lost touch and he wants to close this case for him. It was very sweet. If he didn't creep me out so much I might have been more affected"

"I don't trust him" Cliff spat "You stay away from him" he said to her seriously causing her to give him a faint smile

"I don't think that's how it works with cops" AJ smirked

"No he's right" Punk said to her "He makes you uncomfortable I don't want you talking to him"

"Well what am I supposed to do tomorrow?" AJ asked him

"I'll talk to him" Punk told her simply "You can hang out with Colt and-" then he glanced towards Cliff who was now sporting a very hopeful face "Just Colt"

"I hate you" Cliff shot at him

"Don't be silly" AJ said to Cliff "You can hang out with me too the more the merrier"

"Great" he grinned towards her then glared towards Punk "Jealous?"

"I really am starting to hate you" Punk told him seriously

* * *

The next morning Punk arrived at the police station alone and was sent into Dan's office to wait for him. He looked around the office and saw a framed photo of Dan and Drew from what he assumed was their academy graduation.

"Mr. Brooks" Dan said walking into the office and closing the door behind him "Where's April?"

"My wife is home" Punk informed him

"Is she alright?" he asked him

"Yea she's fine she just doesn't like you" Punk told him bluntly surprising Dan "I don't like you either"

"I'm sorry if I made a bad impression-" Dan started

"I don't know what your deal is" Punk said cutting him off "But you came into my home you eye balled my wife if front of me and then made a pass at her while I was out of the room and that doesn't sit well with me"

"I didn't make a pass at her" Dan smirked "I made an observation. I'm sorry if it upset her"

"The word she used was uncomfortable and that makes me uncomfortable because my wife loves everyone she meets and for some reason you rubbed her the wrong way" Punk said to him casually

"That wasn't my intention" Dan assured him

"I don't want you working on this case" Punk told him folding his arms

"Look Mr. Brooks you may be a big shot at your job but here in the real world you don't have that kind of power" Dan told him calmly "I'm working this case and it would be easier if you and I could communicate but if you don't want to help this investigation it's your funeral and I mean that literally because you know you're next on Christian Scott's list"

"How do you know that?" Punk questioned "Is that what he told you?" Dan let out a laugh

"Are you implying that I've had contact with Mr. Scott?" Dan questioned clearly amused

"Yes" Punk told him honestly

"You don't even know me well enough to pass that kind of judgment on me" Dan informed him in a low voice

"You're right I don't know you" Punk said to him "And I don't want to"

"You're going to have to get used to me" Dan informed him "I'm not walking away from this investigation because your wife can't take a compliment and as far as 'eyeing' your wife goes I admit it" he said with a chuckle but Punk wasn't amused at all "She was wearing workout clothes and well I'm a man I'm sure you've done it yourself, I bet you still do it"

"No I have a brain" Punk shot at him "It helps me control where I look and what I say"

"Please don't make this difficult Mr. Brooks" Dan pleaded lightly "If you distance yourself from me you're distancing yourself from the entire police force and the only ones who are going to be hurt are you and that pretty wife of yours"

"You don't even sound like a real cop" Punk said with a laugh

"I'm not as tightly wound as most officers I'll give you that" Dan agreed "But I'm a great cop and that's why I have Detective's shield. I assure you that I have you and Mrs. Brooks interests at heart. And I know I can't catch Christian without both of your cooperation so how about we start over, fresh page- what do you say?" he asked extending his hand to Punk

"Go fuck yourself" was Punk's casual response before turning on his heel and walking out of the office

* * *

When Punk arrived back home AJ was on the couch with Colt and Cliff and just as he left them Colt was sitting in-between AJ and Cliff.

"That was fast" Colt noted as Punk closed the door behind him

"Yea I didn't have much to say" Punk said to him

"How'd it go?" AJ asked "Do you think he could help us?"

"No" Punk admitted "I don't like him"

"Did you punch him in the face for eyeing our girl?" Cliff asked him seriously

"No I didn't Cliff because I would have been arrested and that would have left AJ at your mercy and I can't have that" Punk told him honestly

"Party pooper" Cliff remarked bitterly

"So I wasn't crazy?" AJ asked him as he took a seat on the chair across from them "There is something a little off about him?"

"No you were right" Punk said to her "I don't like him and if he comes around don't let him in just come and get me"

"You guys don't really think that he could be working for Christian do you?" Colt asked

"I don't know" Punk admitted "I'd like to think not but I don't trust anyone right now"

"You trust me right?" AJ asked in a playful voice

"That goes without saying" Punk smirked "You and Colt always go without saying"

"Really?" Cliff asked realizing he was omitted from that

"If I can't trust you to even sit next to my wife on my couch there's not much I can trust with you" Punk teased in a serious voice

"So what are you going to do?" Colt asked him

"What do you mean?" Punk asked

"If you can't trust the cops what's your line of defense?" Colt questioned

"I don't know yet" Punk admitted and then saw AJ's face turn to a slightly worried one "But we'll figure it out, right?" he asked AJ who offered him a smile

"Absolutely" she agreed

* * *

Later that night after both Colt and Cliff AJ was cleaning up the kitchen from the dinner she cooked them all.

"It's going to be ok" Punk assured her coming up behind her as she washed some dishes, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck briefly

"I know" AJ said to him "I just feel like we're outnumbered. It's a little scary. I feel like I'm just waiting to die"

"Not going to happen" Punk said as he turned her around and trapped her against the counter "I've spoken to another Detective that I know through people and he's going to do all he can"

"This Dan Jacobs is our only line of protection" AJ reminded him "Maybe we should try with him"

"No way" Punk said to her "I don't like him and you don't like him. There's something off about him and I am not taking any risks when it comes to your safety"

"We don't exactly have a choice" she reminded him

"Do you trust me?" he asked her

"Of course" she said to him softly

"Good" he smirked kissing her lips gently "I'm going to take care of you"

"You always do" AJ smiled as Punk's hand reached between them and tugged her loose t-shirt down enough so he could press his lips to the top curve of her breast. AJ arched her back and pushed against him

"How about I take care of you right now?" he asked as lips left one more kiss at breast then ventured up to her face and kissed her lips again. His hands moved behind her now and cupped her backside as he pressed her lower half against his. "Huh?" he questioned as lips brushed over hers gently then left a small kiss on the corner of her mouth

"Do you even have to ask?" AJ asked with a laugh as she jumped up lightly and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck

"I love when you wrap yourself around me" Punk admitted me with a groan as he carried her out of the kitchen

* * *

Dan Jacobs was in the seediest part of Chicago. Even being a cop he didn't feel safe in the neighborhood but he pushed past his thoughts and headed into a project like building and knocked on door 316

"It's about time" the man said letting Dan in

"I've had a lot of work to do. My work load has doubled ironically" Dan mocked tossing his badge onto the table

"Did you see her again today?" Christian Scott asked the man hopefully

"No" Dan said and he could tell Christian was disappointed "Her husband came to see me and he informed him that he and April don't trust me and will not be assisting in the investigation"

"What the hell did you do?" Christian demanded

"Nothing" Dan defended "The guy is a nut job"

"He may be a nut job but he's not stupid either" Christian said to him "He wouldn't just turn down police assistance for no reason"

"He thinks I was looking at his wife's ass" Dan said to him

"Were you?" Christian questioned

"Maybe" Dan admitted and Christian smiled lightly

"How does it look?" Christian asked

"She has a great ass" Dan laughed "But her ass cost me a lot"

"He'll get over it" Christian said to him "You need to gain his trust"

"How the hell can I do that?" Dan asked him "I'm pretty sure he would have punched him in the face today if we were on the street and not in the middle of the police station"

"How did Detective Keith gain his trust?" Christian asked

"I have no fucking idea" Dan groaned "That Punk is a dick"

"I actually kind of like him" Christian told him honestly "In another world I bet Punk and could have been friends"

"I told him that he could possibly be next on your kill list and he didn't even flinch" Dan told him

"He doesn't fear for his own life he's proven that over and over again he fears for her. She's his weakness problem is she's mine as well" Christian said to him as Dan just rolled his eyes

"Her ass isn't that great" Dan said seriously

"Don't disrespect her again" Christian warned

"Sorry" Dan mumbled "What should I do? Should I take him out too?"

"No" Christian said to him "I gave him my word"

"What?" Dan asked confused

"I told him and April I wouldn't lay a hand on him or his sisters" Christian informed him "A man isn't a man if he can't keep his word"

"Didn't you attack him in his own home?" Dan asked with a laugh

"That was a weak moment" Christian said bitterly "One I paid for dearly. I didn't keep my word and now I'm a wanted man"

"Right" Dan said eyeing the man as if he was crazy "So any ideas?"

"April is your way back in" Christian told him simply "She's very gullible. Talk to her and once she lets you back in so will Mr. Brooks"

"I don't think that will fly with her husband" Dan said to him

"You're smart you'll figure it out" Christian said to him

"Oh here" Dan said passing him bag "Some clothes and food"

"Good" Christian said to him accepting the large duffle bag

"You must be going stir crazy in here" Dan said eyeing the crappy apartment

"Not really. It helps knowing I'm close to her" Christian said simply

"Sure it does" Dan said unsurely "If you need something else let me know now because I won't be able to come around for a few days. I don't want to draw attention here"

"Smart. And no I'm good" Christian said to him "You're doing good Danny"

"Thanks big brother" Dan said to him

"I'm not your brother" Christian reminded him quickly

"You were for like six months when our parents were married" Dan reminded him

"April likes Starbucks" Christian said ignoring him "I suggest you wait for a moment she's home alone or at least with someone who isn't Mr. Brooks and bring some over to her as a peace offering"

"I can do that" Dan said to him

"Good." Christian said to him

"What are you going to do to her?" Dan asked him

"I'm going to reclaim her" Christian told him as if Dan was asking an obvious question and he was an idiot

"She's legally married to another man" Dan reminded him "She seems to really be happy with him"

"She's mine" Christian said to him "Not his"

"So you're going to what? Run away together?" Dan asked

"That's her first choice" Christian said to him

"And if she declines?" Dan asked

"I'd rather not go there with you right now" Christian told him "What I need for you to worry about it is getting back in her good graces. I didn't take out Detective Keith so you can screw this all up"

"I understand and I'll fix it" Dan assured him


	40. Security Measures

**Chapter 40: Security Measures**

* * *

AJ was woken up the next morning by the feeling of soft kisses on the nape of her neck where her new tattoo was. Now that it was healed Punk loved to kiss over it.

"I'm starting to think you love yourself more than me" AJ smirked as she kept her eyes closed. Punk kept one arm wrapped around her small body that was wrapped up in a single white beds sheet

"Impossible" Punk muttered against his skin "I just love that I'm on your body" he said as he left another kiss there "There's just only one thing I love more than that"

"What's that?" AJ asked with a smile already knowing what he was going to say

"Being _in_ your body" he said against her ear

"Careful you'll get sick of me soon" AJ warned

"I don't think that could ever happen" Punk said to her seriously as he pushed himself against her

"Will this ever past?" she asked

"What's that?" he asked kissing down her shoulder

"This honeymoon faze?" AJ questioned "Where we can't keep our hands off of each other?"

"God I hope not" Punk said seriously "I crave you" he admitted hoarsely against her "In the morning when I wake up, at night before I go to sleep"

"Who knew this tattoo would turn you on so much?" AJ smirked

"It's not just the tattoo but it helps" Punk said to her

"I should get more" AJ said to him

"Yea?" Punk asked her "You should get my name again"

"How many times of your name am I going to have on my body?" AJ giggled

"There's never enough" Punk said to her seriously

"Where would I even put them?" AJ questioned

"I'm so glad you asked that" Punk said seriously feeling his hot breath against her skin then she felt him move away and tug the bed sheet off of her so her bare back was visible to him "I've given this some thought"

"Here" he said kissing down her spine. AJ just kept her eyes closed as he ventured lower "Defiantly here" he said kissing her lower back

"Are they all going to say Punk?" AJ asked

"No some come say Phil, a few can read CM Punk…" he said to her here he said kissing one of her butt cheeks "This can say Phil" and this one he said giving the other one a kiss "Can say Brooks"

"Creative" she teased and that's when he flipped her over so he was loaming over her

"I thought so" he said seriously as she finally opened her eyes. He kissed down her cleavage until he reached her torso. "You can get CM Punk here" he said kissing all over stomach. She was so ticklish she started to giggle "Just like how I have Straight Edge"

"Interesting" She said as she ran her hand over his head as he shimmed his way down her slender body

"And here" he said kissing her left hip bone "…here you can get the stars I have on mine, and a matching one here" he said kissing her right hip bone

"I actually kind of like that" AJ said to him

"How could you not like them all?" Punk asked seriously "They're all great ideas. You're welcome" he said glancing up at her sporting a serious face

"Why thank you" AJ laughed "Isn't there a less chauvinistic way to brand me though?"

"You my beautiful wife are full of great questions this morning" Punk said looking up to her "Because yes there is" the next thing she saw was his face his lower and the next thing she felt was fireworks….

* * *

Once Punk and AJ finally pried themselves out of bed they decided to head to a local Starbucks. AJ was starting to go stir crazy and he couldn't blame her.

"You want your usual?" Punk asked her and she nodded

"Please" she said as she typed away on her phone

"Something exciting going on?" Punk asked nodding towards her phone

"It's Eve" AJ told him "She really thinks there's a shot I'll get the title"

"I hope you do but if you don't that's ok. You'll have plenty of time" Punk assured her

"I know" AJ said to him "I'm just excited to finally be working"

"I know you are" Punk said as he placed their order

"Mr & Mrs Brooks" Dan Jacobs smiled walking over to them "Funny bumping into you two here" AJ put on a smile while Punk looked annoyed

"Yea how funny that we're all the same coffee shop around the corner from our place" Punk said to him annoyed as he paid the cashier

"I'm actually glad I bumped into you two" Dan started

"Save it" Punk said cutting him off as AJ now looked nervous "I told you yesterday I don't want you around" he reminded him

"I really just wanted to apologize to Mrs. Brooks" Dan said looking towards AJ "I'm very sorry if I made you feel anything less than the safe or comfortable"

"It's fine" AJ said brushing it off with a forced smile

"I know you're not happy with me working the case but I am so we're all going to have to learn to get along" Dan informed them

"We've told you everything we know you have Drew's notes I would say any type of communication between us is over" Punk told him

"It's not that easy" Dan smirked

"I think it is" AJ said surprising the two men "My husband has already told you that we don't want any further communication and now I'm telling you the same thing. If you have any further questions please contact our lawyer" she then looked towards Punk who was surprised but very proud of his wife "Let's go" she said wrapping her arm around his and pulling him away

"Gullible my ass" Dan muttered as he watched them walk down towards the end of the shop to pick up their drinks

* * *

"You really impressed me" Punk said as they entered their home

"There's just something about him that I hate" AJ admitted "And you know me I'm not like that"

"I do" Punk agreed "Which is all the more reason we're staying away. So I have to ask what is it about him? I mean did he say or do anything besides making a pass at you"

"No not really" AJ shrugged "It's not even the fact that he made a pass at me it's just something about his eyes that seem off, I really don't like that he called me April- there's just something not right about him"

"I agree. But I'm glad you do too. I hate any guy that eyeballs you so I thought I could have possibly been overreacting" Punk smirked

"No, no" AJ said to him "I just wish we had someone else on our side"

"One cop isn't really go to help us AJ" Punk told her

"It made a difference with Drew" AJ reminded him

"You're right but we weren't prepared back then now we are" Punk told her "And as a matter of fact today I'm having a brand new state of the art security system put in"

"I just learned this new security system" AJ frowned

"Well now you can learn another new one" Punk said to her "We're going to have cameras and monitors all over the place"

"Everywhere?" She asked unsurely

"Yes everywhere even the bedroom" Punk told her "But that's for my own personal satisfaction"

"Phil!" AJ shouted horrified

"I'm kidding" he laughed "The cameras will be outside and our gym. Just places where it could be easy to get in and hide"

"Ok" AJ said to him "Have you ever by the way?"

"Ever what?" Punk asked sipping on his coffee "Made a sex tape?"

"No AJ I haven't" Punk laughed then noticed her face "Have you?"

"Maybe" she teased

"You're kidding" Punk laughed "You are not the sex tape type of girl"

"I didn't know I was being taped in my defense" AJ said to him quickly and now he went from amused to horrified

"Excuse me?" Punk asked her "You know what first of all please don't tell me it was Christian"

"It wasn't" AJ said "I was with Jay and he was filming some matches to send in to some promotion and he forgot the camera was on"

"Wait he was filming matches in the bedroom?" Punk asked confused

"No, no it was in the ring" AJ said to him

"You had sex with your trainer in the middle of a wrestling ring?" Punk asked her stunned

"It wasn't in the middle exactly" AJ said unsurely "And he wasn't just my trainer he was my boyfriend"

"I can't believe my prudish my wife had sex on tape" Punk said to her "You're really kinky aren't you?"

"I'm not really" AJ said to him blushing

"Does he still have it?" Punk asked

"Why? You want to watch it?" she replied sarcastically

"No I want to break it so I know he's sitting at home jerking off to it" Punk said to her seriously

"I broke the tape" AJ assured him

"Good" Punk said to her "Now we have to make one"

"Are you insane?" AJ laughed

"It's only right" Punk said to her seriously "You made one with one boyfriend you have to make one with me"

"Why do you want a tape? You get it for real constantly" AJ laughed

"What if there's a time you're on the road and I'm not?" Punk asked

"You can't survive a few nights?" AJ asked and he shook his head no

"Baby I can barely go a few hours" Punk admitted

"You are crazy" AJ smirked

"So that's a yes?" Punk asked hopefully

"No!" she said still laughing as she stood up and walked away

"Come on!" he yelled with a laugh following her out of the room

* * *

When AJ and Punk arrived to the show Big E who was waiting for the bus to pull up greeted them.

"Your security detail is here" Langston smiled as AJ stepped off the bus with her bag

"You are so efficient" She smiled as he took her bag from her

"That's why I get paid the big bucks" Langston smirked "Hey Punk"

"E" Punk said to him

"Hunter is inside he wants to see you" Langston told him

"He's here?" Punk asked surprised. Normally Hunter nor the McMahon's worked house shows.

"Yea he said he wanted to see you as soon as you got here" Langston said to him "So I'm here to take this thing off of your hands" he said nudging AJ with is large shoulder and it almost sent her crashing to ground

"Hey!" she pouted "I'm not a thing"

"Right sorry" he laughed "He's in the main office"

"Thanks" Punk said to him "I'll be back just make sure you keep your eyes on her"

"You should be happy Phil doesn't just offer that to many men" AJ teased to Langston

"Cute" Punk grinned "But she's right"

"I'll be a perfect gentleman" Langston assured him as he walked into the arena with the two of them

Once Punk found Hunter's office he walked right in and saw Paul was already in there as well.

"Punk take a seat" Hunter said to him "Paul informed Vince of everything going on with Christian Scott"

"Oh good" Punk said taking a seat "What are you going to do about it?" he asked casually

"There's not much we can do" Hunter told him honestly "I mean if you both want some time off we can arrange that"

"No way" Punk said to him "The truth is I think AJ is safest when she's here"

"Ok" Hunter said firmly "So you'll both work"

"Have us work more" Punk requested

"Did something happen?" Paul asked concerned

"Not really" Punk said to him "The new cop on the case is fishy. I don't like him"

"You don't like anyone" Hunter pointed out

"AJ doesn't like him either" Punk informed them "I don't trust him and now all of the sudden the extra police protection on our house is gone"

"They can't do that can you?" Paul asked him

"Sure they can" Punk said to him "Drew was doing us a favor, this new idiot doesn't seem to want to do anything but eye fuck my wife"

"You can't judge people by how they look at your wife" Hunter reminded him

"Sure I can" Punk said to him "He's not right and I feel it in my gut and the last time I went against my guy AJ got hurt"

"Ok" Hunter said reluctantly agreeing "So you want to keep everything on track you feel that is the safest option for you both?"

"Absolutely" Punk said to him

"Has there been any news?" Paul asked him

"This new detective hasn't given us much of anything" Punk told him "He's useless and probably working for Christian"

"That's a pretty harsh accusation" Paul noted

"He thought Cliff and Colt were hired by Christian" Punk snorted "He's a complete moron and he's trying too hard. She's not safe in Chicago."

"Do you have a security system in your home?" Hunter asked

"Yea I just got one a month ago and updated it two days ago" Punk said to him "I just got this bus because I think it's safer. I've taken every precaution"

"So all you can do is sit around and wait I suppose" Hunter said to him "We're going to up security in the arenas"

"I'd appreciate that" Punk said to him

"I wish there was more we could do" Hunter told him bluntly "Vince is very concerned about your safety and AJ's"

"So am I but what can I do?" Punk asked "There's not right or wrong to go about this I suppose"

"We need a few people to do go to a school in Washington on Thursday and do a reading challenge" Hunter told him "Maybe you AJ and Paul could go? It will keep you on the road"

"Yea fine" Punk said to him "Are you ok with that?"

"Yes" Paul said to him "We can have that burly NXT guy come along as well. He may be her security detail but he's also a talent so it should work"

"Fine" Hunter said to them "But you'll literally be on the road the entire week because we have the pay per view Sunday"

"Yea that works fine" Punk said to him "All I know is that Christian is in Chicago so the further away we are from it the better. If he gets antsy and comes to wherever we are it increases the chances he gets caught"

"I'll look into getting you guys some appearances Friday as well" Hunter told him

"Thank you" Punk said standing up "I really do appreciate it"

"Like I said I just wish there was more we could do" Hunter told him

* * *

Later that night Punk was in bed on the bus when he noticed AJ had still not joined him.

"That's cheating!" Paul yelled as Punk stepped out of the bedroom

"Don't be such a baby" AJ said to Paul "You can't play in a ladder match if you're not fast enough"

"The buttons on this controller are sticky!" he defended

"You just suck man" Langston laughed from his bunk

"I do not suck" Paul said with a beat red face

"The controller is brand new" Punk informed him as he made his presence known "She's just annoyingly good"

"Extremely annoying" Paul agreed in annoyance just as AJ's character reached up and grabbed the belt

"I won!" she cheered happily

"Are you playing as John Cena?" Punk asked her looking at the screen

"I was you" Paul pointed out "She's a bad wife"

"He's the best player in this game" AJ defended lightly

"I'm on the cover of the game" Punk pointed out

"Yes but Paul picked you first" AJ said to him "Besides they make John like invincible in this game"

"Ok I'm done playing" Paul said childishly "I'm going to crash on a bunk"

"Goodnight" AJ said with a smirk

"What about you?" Punk asked her "Coming to bed anytime soon?"

"I guess" AJ said turning off the console

"Do we have to sleep with headphones in?" Paul asked them seriously

"They wouldn't help" Punk smirked arrogantly

"Phil" AJ scolded slapping his shoulder lightly

"I'm being honest" Punk said as AJ pushed him into the bedroom

"You are so mean" AJ said to him

"It's true" Punk said seriously "Let's go" he said pulling off his shirt

"No way" AJ laughed

"Why?" Punk asked her

"Paul and E are out there" AJ said pointing to the closed door

"They can't hear us" Punk said to her brushing it off

"Sure they can" AJ said to him "Keep it in your pants"

"They're going to be here all week with us" Punk reminded her

"So?" AJ asked "At least wait until they fall asleep"

"But…but" he muttered as if he was child "you'll fall asleep"

"It's not happening" AJ said getting into the bed and pulling the covers up

"See this is where that video would have come in handy" Punk said seriously as he crawled in next to her

"Ew" she giggled and as he always did he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her back right against his chest as he nestled his face against her neck

"This is ok right?" Punk asked sarcastically

"Are you going to keep your hands in appropriate places?" AJ shot back

"Probably not" Punk admitted "I can't help what I do when I sleep"

"Can I ask you something?" AJ asked

"Is it about how we could have sex without everyone hearing?" Punk asked

"No" AJ said to him

"Then no" Punk responded

"Phil" She scolded pinching his hand that was griping her waist

"Kidding, what's up?" he asked her

"Do you want children?" AJ asked him "I just realized we've never discussed it"

"Do you?" Punk asked her in return

"Nah-uh" she scolded "I asked first"

"Honestly I never did" Punk admitted "Now I'm not sure. I would love to have a little AJ running around in chucks, beating me at video games and bossing me around" she laughed at his description of their daughter "You?"

"Same" AJ said to him "I thought I'd be wrestling until I was Mae Young's age and would never, ever leave but now I want to be the best there then have a family"

"Yea I mean we'd have to wait until we're both done. I wouldn't want to raise a kid on the road" Punk told her "Why are you asking? You're not-"

"No" she assured him quickly "I was just wondering. I mean obviously we'd have to wait and not only the not raising our kids on the road but also Christian is still out there. I don't want to bring children into a world where he's roaming around free"

"He won't be around by that point" Punk promised "He's going to get impatient and screw up"

"I want a boy and a girl" AJ told him "I hope you're ok with that"

"Oh really" he smirked against her skin "Do I get a choice?"

"Not really. It's my body that carries them" AJ reminded him

"Ok but what if you have two boys or two girls?" Punk asked

"We just keep trying until we get one of each" AJ said to him simply

"Oh that easy huh?" Punk laughed

"Yup" she said to him surely "Could you imagine if we had like four girls"

"Girls are simple." Punk shrugged "Boys are messy and getting into trouble"

"Girls are so not easy" AJ laughed "You were raised with your sisters when you were younger so you have no idea"

"How difficult can they be?" Punk asked "My brother and I were always in trouble for some shit"

"My sister and I were too" AJ said to him "We once got caught sneaking into a club and the club manager actually called our parents and they had to come pick us up. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life"

"How old were you?" Punk asked

"I was 16 my sister was 19 and it was a 21 and over club" AJ said to him

"Why would you even go?" Punk asked "You still look like your 16 how did you think you'd ever be able to pull off an older look?"

"We were meeting these guys" AJ admitted "They were 22. Have you given that thought? Your dream daughters are going to be dating"

"Not my daughters" Punk said to her casually "My daughters will be home schooled. How would they even meet boys?"

"The more you smother them the more they'll act out" AJ said to him

"Nope. They'll love being home schooled" Punk informed her "And it's not smothering it's parenting"

"I'm starting to think you're not kidding" AJ said to him

"I'm not" Punk said seriously "That's why I know girls will be easier because I'll always know where they are at every moment of every day"

"You're going to be a great father" AJ said to him as she closed her and curled into him further. The comment actually caused him to smile lightly

"You think so?" he asked her

"I know so" AJ said surely just as she drifted off to sleep


	41. Frozen In Time

**Chapter 41: Frozen In Time**

* * *

The week came and went and Punk was now exhausted. He knew it was for the best to keep AJ on the road but being on the road everyday for ten straight days was really destroying his body. They had to finally head back home the following Wednesday night.

"I'm so glad to be home" AJ said as she crawled into her and Punk's bed. She had just gotten out of the shower and he was already half asleep.

"Me too" he muttered in a sleepy voice

"I can tell. You never fall asleep" AJ smirked kissing the top of his head and wrapping her arms around his back so her chest with flush against his back.

"Aren't you?" he asked her trying to stay awake

"A little" AJ said against him "You can sleep tonight I'll stay up"

"Neither of us need to stay up" Punk reminded her "If a raccoon comes too close to the door the alarm will go off. Get some sleep" he said

"It's only eight" she said to him

"Sleep" he instructed as he began to drift off to sleep.

Punk wasn't asleep long when he heard his phone going off.

"No" he muttered

"Just leave it" AJ said in a drained voice. The phone stopped ringing and then began again.

"Damn it" He muttered annoyed reaching for the phone and grabbing it, not even bothering to look at the caller ID "What?" he demanded into the phone

"Sorry to bother you Mr. Brooks but this is Detective Jacobs from the Chicago PD" he said into the phone

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Punk asked but decided he was just going to hang up

"Don't hang up we got him" Dan told him quickly and that caught Punk's attention and was now sitting up

"What?" Punk asked making sure he heard correctly

"We arrested Mr. Scott two hours ago" Dan told him

"And I'm just hearing about his now?" Punk asked annoyed

"We had to process him and interview him" Dan told him "We need you to come down to the station though"

"Why?" Punk asked him

"He wants to speak to you" Dan said to him "Only you. He won't talk until he speaks with you"

"This can't wait until morning?" Punk groaned

"He's being very insistent" Dan informed him "But like I said he only wants to see you"

"Yea, yea I heard ya" Punk said annoyed then hung up

"What's up?" AJ asked sitting up looking concerned "Everything ok?"

"They arrested him" Punk told her and her face was stunned

"How? When?" AJ asked

"I don't know the details but he wants to see me" Punk said to her

"You shouldn't go" AJ said to him "He's going to mess with your head"

"No he's not" Punk said to her "I want to hear what he has to say to me"

"Ok" AJ said hesitantly "I'll wait here"

"No you're coming with me" Punk said to her as he got out of the bed and reached for some clothes "I don't trust this Dan Jacobs, you're coming with me"

"Alright" She said slowly getting out of the bed "I don't have to see him though, right?"

"Of course not" Punk assured her "You never have to see him ever again"

* * *

Once they arrived at the police station it wasn't as busy as Punk expected. He would have thought if they had really caught Christian there would be people running around, press parked outside but there was nothing.

"Something isn't right" Punk said as he looked around the station

"What do you mean?" she asked him

"It's too quiet" he whispered into her ear

"You think he was lying?" AJ asked him

"Maybe" Punk said to her "That would prove our point that this great Detective really works for Christian"

"Why would he lure us to a police station?" AJ asked

"Maybe he thought I'd leave you home" Punk said to her

"That's a tad bit far fetched" AJ said to him "He'd be fired if he did any of that. Just go ask for him"

"You wait right here" Punk said to her seriously

"Where would I go?" AJ asked annoyed

"I mean it AJ" Punk said to her "Don't leave this waiting area"

"Fine" AJ said to him and watched as walked off and took a seat in the waiting area.

"Hey" Punk said as the desk sergeant looked up at him "I'm looking for Detective Dan Jacobs"

"He's not in" he told Punk simply then went down to look back at his paper work

"Well he just called me" Punk said annoyed causing the man to look up at him

"And what did he say?" the sergeant asked annoyed

"He said you guys arrested Christian Scott and I had to come down here" Punk said to him

"Oh you're the wrestler" the sergeant said "We've been trying to reach you actually the Detective on the case has been trying to get in touch with you"

"I just told you I spoke to Detective Jacobs" Punk said slowly starting to grow more and more pissed off

"Detective Jacobs isn't working the Scott case as a matter of fact Dan Jacobs isn't a cop here anymore" the sergeant told him "Let me call the new Detective on the case"

"No this is bullshit!" Punk yelled "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm going to find out sir" the sergeant said as he began to dial a number on his phone. Punk turned around and saw AJ was sitting in a chair texting on her phone then looked back towards the sergeant

"Phil Brooks" A much older woman said walking towards him said "I'm Claudette Williams" she said shaking his hand

"Great" Punk muttered "And who are you to me?"

"I'm the Detective that's been working the Scott case" Claudette told him

"What about that Detective Jacobs?" Punk asked growing frustrated

"Maybe we should talk in my office" Claudette said in a stern voice "You're going to want to hear what I have to say"

"I'm not going anywhere with any of you" Punk spat

"I understand you're upset-" She started

"I don't trust the cops" Punk told her bluntly

"You trusted Detective Keith" Claudette pointed out "He was my partner I was working this case with him"

"How do I know any of that is true?" Punk asked her

"I'll call my boss in here if you need then I'll call his boss then his boss if that's what it takes" Claudette told him "Please something very wrong is happening and we need to fix it"

"I'm bringing my wife with me" Punk said to her

"Good. I'd love to speak to both of you and I know my boss does too" Claudette said to him

"AJ" Punk said loud enough so she could hear and he nodded for her to join them

"What's going on?" AJ asked placing her phone into her pocket

"I have no idea" Punk said to her

"Either do I but we're going to figure it out together" Claudette assured him

* * *

Almost an hour later and talking to many high up official's things became clear to Punk. Dan Jacobs was never working Christian's case he was clearly working for Christian.

"So they're related?" Punk asked the new Detective

"Not by blood" Claudette told him "Dan Jacobs mother was married to Christian's father for a few months when they were both young. It didn't last long."

"He told me him and Drew were close" AJ said to Claudette

"They were" Claudette confirmed "But when Drew began working his first case years ago against Christian there partnership was destroyed"

"Why would he call and tell us to come down here?" AJ asked her

"He didn't" Claudette said to her "He asked for your husband. He probably assumed with the assurance that Christian was behind bars you'd be left at home"

"That's a huge risk" AJ noted

"You were going to find out about Dan this week anyway because once I finally caught up on all of Drew's paperwork I discovered the Scott files were missing. I found them thanks to a tip from a friend of yours actually" she said to Punk "You have a friend at another house and he was calling and asking questions and dropped Drew's name. Drew knew he was going to be fired a few days ago and we haven't seen him since"

"What if they're in out house now?" AJ asked looking at Punk

"We're going to send a couple of police units over to your place and they're going to search your property and home" Claudette told them

"Is there any update on Christian?" Punk asked her

"We have a couple of tips coming daily but nothing is really checking out" Claudette said to him honestly

"I have to use the bathroom" AJ said standing up

"Down the hall on the right" Claudette told her as AJ left the room

"Is this idiot Dan Jacobs dangerous?" Punk asked her once AJ was out of earshot "It's bad enough she still has to fear Christian"

"He's a puppet" Claudette said to him "Not only do I not think he's smart enough to be dangerous but I'm pretty sure Christian Scott wouldn't trust him with anything dangerous"

"What was the point though?" Punk asked "This Dan Jacobs knew he wouldn't get far with this so why even bother? What did he even gain from doing this?"

"My only assumption was that Christian did have some sort of grand plan and Dan blew it at some point. Because tonight's plan seemed a bit rushed" Claudette told him

"He knew I didn't trust him" Punk said to her "I told him that many times and so did my wife"

"You two are smart" Claudette said to him

"I just don't understand how no one in this station knew what was going on" Punk said to her "Only one cops works such a big case?"

"The FBI has been handling Chrisian's case since the crime has crossed state lines" Claudette informed him "We've been picking up some pieces since we believed he could be here but it wasn't until your friend called asking questions that set off alarms"

"Detective Williams?" A uniformed officer questioned "You need to come to the front desk"

"I'm busy take a message if it's someone to see me" Claudette told him

"Christian Scott is here" the officer told her causing Punk to turn around and stare at the officer "He's here to turn himself in"

Punk and the Detective walked out to the main area of the building and sure enough there was Christian Scott being handcuffed

"He just walked in the front door?" Claudette asked an officer in shock

"No he actually came from the back" the young officer told her "He had blood on his shirt too" Christian turned and made eye contact with Punk and gave him a smile

"AJ" Punk said to himself turning around and making his way down the hall to the bathroom. He reached the women's bathroom and tried to open the door but it was locked "AJ!" he screamed banging on the door

"Step aside" Claudette said waving someone down "Get this door open!" she shouted as someone ran down with a key and opened the door. When Punk stepped inside he thought he felt his heart literally stop.

"AJ?" he asked rushing to her side. She was lying on the cold bathroom floor in a pool of blood. "AJ?" he asked softly brushing the hair out of her face.

"We need medics!" Claudette yelled

"She's bleeding!" Punk yelled towards her

"Is she breathing?" Claudette asked stepping over him and AJ and reaching her other side and feeling for a pulse

"AJ?" Punk asked frantically trying to wake her

"She's got a pulse" Claudette told him as she reached over and found AJ's wound in her torso. That's when the medics came in.

"Step aside please" the medic said moving Punk to the side. He was completely frozen.

"She's bleeding in the back too" he heard a medic say

"She has two wounds" the other one told him

"This one on her neck is a flesh wound" he said lifting her slightly to see the wound. Punk saw his tattooed name was scratched off.

"This was his plan" Punk said to himself as Claudette walked over to him. His eyes were locked on AJ as the medics worked on her. It was like he was heavily medicated "I fell right into it"

"You couldn't have known this" Claudette said seriously "I'm going to give you a ride to the hospital"

"No" Punk said to her "I'm riding with her. I'm not leaving her side" he said starting to snap back to reality

"They need room to work" Claudette told him

"I'm not leaving her side" Punk said to her in a low growl

"Do you guys have room for her husband?" Claudette asked them

"Yea but we have to go right now" the medic said as they placed her on a stretcher

"What's happening?" AJ asked coming to. She was in shock "Where's Phil?" she asked starting become frantic

"I'm right here" Punk said rushing to her side

"Phil what's happening?" she asked seeing she was covered in blood and that's when the medics placed an oxygen mask over her face

"Please sit back" the medic instructed AJ but she started to freak out

"AJ do what they say" Punk insisted "I'll be right here"

"Phil" he heard her say under the mask

"Your husband is right here" The medic said trying to calm her "He'll ride with you too but you have to stay calm ok?" he said to her and she nodded slowly. Punk looked down and saw her scared and pale face and wasn't sure he was going to be able to handle this

"We're going now" The medic said to Punk and he followed them out

* * *

Punk was in the waiting room of the hospital and when he looked down at his hands he saw he still had AJ's blood on them. He wanted to go wash them off but he didn't want to miss an update on her. She was in and out of consciousness the entire ambulance ride and all he knew was that she was losing a lot of blood. He thought they heard them say something about internal bleeding and a possible artery. He wasn't a doctor but he knew none of that was good.

About an hour later Punk was still in the same seat as his knee jumped up and down from anxiousness. He still hadn't heard a thing and he was still covered in his wife's blood.

"Phil" Colt said walking over to him with Cliff not far behind

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked

"A cop called me and said AJ was hurt" Colt said to him "She said you were down here alone"

"What happened?" Cliff's normal chirpy voice was long gone it was now laced with concern.

"AJ" Punk said to them

"What about her?" Colt asked him but Punk didn't respond "Phil!" he shouted "What the hell happened?"

"She went to the bathroom" Punk told him quietly. Clearly he was still in shock. "I mean she was in the bathroom at the police station how could this happen?" he said to them seriously

"What happened?" now Cliff asked "You're not making any sense"

"She was bleeding" Punk told him "Christian was there and I knew something was wrong"

"Woah" Colt said stopping Punk "Christian Scott?"

"I think he stabbed her" Punk said to him slowly "I don't know I didn't hear a gun…"

"Oh my god" Cliff said

"She lost a lot of blood" Punk told them "She kept waking up in the ambulance she was so scared"

"Do you have any updates?" Colt asked removing his jacket

"No" Punk said to him

"You've got blood on you" Cliff pointed out "Go wash up we'll wait in case a doctor comes out"

"No I'm not leaving until I know she's ok" Punk said to them. He didn't sound angry or argumentative just broken.

"I think he's in shock" Colt said to Cliff who nodded "What can we do? You want us to call your sisters?"

"No" Punk told them "I want to know what's going on" he said now standing up

"It might take some time" Colt said to him

"He smiled at me" Punk told him

"Who?" Colt asked

"Christian" Punk said to him "He was being handcuffed and he smiled at me and that's how I knew he killed her"

"He didn't kill her" Cliff said quickly "They're fixing her up right now"

"There was a lot of blood" Punk said to him "I've never seen so much blood in my life. She's so small. How can she have all that blood in her body?"

"Just sit down" Colt said leading him back over to a chair and sitting him down "Do you need a doctor?"

"No" Punk said to him "I wasn't the one bleeding. AJ is the one that needs a doctor"

"She's seeing one" Cliff told him "But she'd probably want you to clean yourself up"

"Yea" Punk agreed but didn't make a single move "She looked so scared. I couldn't do anything. I was frozen"

"You couldn't do much" Colt reminded him

"Yea unless you have a medical license" Cliff added

"Why didn't I protect her?" Punk asked his friend

"You did" Cliff said to him seriously

"She's dying" Punk said to him in the same casual tone he'd been using with them "I should have known."

"You don't know that" Colt scolded "Just try to pull yourself together because what AJ needs is for you to snap back to reality"

"She's probably dying right now" Punk said to them "And I was feet away. I didn't even hear her scream. Christian was laughing at me"

"Phil" Colt started using his birth name to try to get his attention but Punk stood up and started to walk down the hall "Where are you going?"

"I need to see her" Punk said to him as Colt reached for his arm "I need to tell her I'm sorry before I can't"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Colt asked shaking him lightly "She's going to be fine"

"If I don't tell her now how will she know that I'm sorry?" Punk asked him "She needs to know that I let her down, that I failed her, I lied to her, I-"

"Jesus Christ Phil snap out of it!" Colt yelled shaking him a little bit more roughly

"I need-" Punk started but then started to break down "I'm so sorry" he wept as Colt pulled him into a hug "Oh god" he sobbed against Colt accepting the hug. It took a lot for Colt to not break down upon seeing his friend so broken. Cliff on the other hand was standing to close and felt himself start to choke up himself.

* * *

It was a half our late and Punk was no washed up and back in the waiting room still waiting to hear about AJ. His eyes were swollen and red and his friends were right at his side. Finally a doctor walked out and removed his cap as he walked over to them.

"Mr. Brooks?" the doctor asked and Punk nodded and stood up

"I performed the surgery on your wife-" he started

"Is she alive?" Punk asked cutting him

"Yes" he told him and all three men let out a breath "She did lose a lot of blood but we were able to transfuse and control the internal bleeding"

"She's going to be ok?" Punk asked him

"It's very early to say for sure but I thnk she'll pull through ok" the doctor told him "She is an extremely lucky young lady. Half an inch to the left her artery would have been hit and she would have bled out. "She's not going to be up for a few hours and it's going to take some time to see what kind of permanent damage has been done but I'm optimistic. I'm sure you want to see her"

"Yes" Punk said quickly

"She's being bought upstairs to a private recovery room in the ICU." The doctor told him "Once she's settled I'll have a nurse come down and escort you"

"Thank you" Punk said as the doctor shook his hands

"See?" Cliff said with a sigh of relief "What can we do for you?"

"Seriously man anything?" Colt asked

"The only thing I can even think about is her right now" Punk told him

"We'll go back to your place get you some clothes" Colt offered

"I don't care about my clothes" Punk said brushing it off "But what you can do is call Paul for me. He needs to get in touch with Vince and fill him in. We're supposed to work Friday-"

"Don't worry about work" Colt said to him

"Seriously just stay with AJ we'll take care of everything" Cliff said to him "Should we call her family?"

"You guys are her family" Punk told him honestly

"Mr. Brooks?" A nurse smiled walking over to him "I'm going to take you to your wife now"

"Thanks guys" Punk said to them then followed the nurse

* * *

Once Punk entered the room with the nurse he was alarmed by how pale and fragile she looked to him.

"Her coloring will come back" the nurse assured him "It happens with blood loss"

"Does she really need all these machines?" Punk asked

"Afraid so" the nurse said with a faint smile "But not for long don't worry. If anything changes or she wakes up just push this button" she said lifting the small controller

"Yea sure" Punk said then the nurse walked out of the room and left Punk alone with her. He pulled the chair in the room all the way to the side of her bed and grabbed her left hand. He noticed her rings were gone they probably removed them before the surgery.

"I'm sorry baby" he whispered to her and kissed her hand gently


	42. Being Mad

**Chapter 42: Being Mad**

* * *

Punk was in the same spot he had been in since arriving in AJ's room. He wasn't sure how many hours had passed and the only time he would let go of her hand were when the nurses would come in and check on her. She looked so peaceful and even beautiful. But the lasting images in Punk's head were when AJ woke up briefly after he found her, her horrified face would be burned into his brain for the rest of his life.

"Mr. Brooks" the doctor said walking in

"She hasn't woken up yet" Punk said to the doctor as he kept his eyes on AJ "When is she going to wake up?"

"I told you it's going to be a little while" The Doctor said looking over AJ's chart "But her vitals are good. And that is a very good sign"

"I need her to wake up" Punk said softly as he kept his grip on her hand

"She will" The Doctor told him "Like I said last night she lost a lot of blood."

"Why is there a bandage on her neck?" Punk asked him.

"She was cut there as well" The Doctor told him and that's when Punk started to vaguely remember the medics talking about it yesterday "It was artificial."

"She had a tattoo there" Punk told him "He tried to cut it off"

"She's very strong and popular so it seems" The Doctor informed him "The ICU is family only but she has a generating quit the crowd outside"

"It's probably jut fans" Punk mumbled as he brushed his thumb over AJ's hand

"Well the two gentlemen you were with last night are still there and they seem to know most of the people" The Doctor said to him "If you'd like to step out while I take her for a few tests"

"Why does she need tests? I'll go with her" Punk asked alarmed finally looking towards the Doctor

"You can not come and don't worry the tests are just to check the bleeding" The Doctor assured him

"But you said it was successful" Punk pointed out

"It was and is but she still had major surgery we have to run a few tests. It won't take long" The Doctor told him

"Ok I'll wait here" Punk said letting go of her hand but not for kissing it again

"You can't do anything here" The Doctor told him "I suggest you go grab a cup of coffee and talk to those friends of yours"

"I need to be here when she gets back" Punk told him firmly

"And you will be. Be back in forty minutes and you'll be here before she is" The Doctor told him and Punk nodded

* * *

When Punk eventually ventured out to the waiting area he saw Colt and Cliff were still there. But there were a few new faces as well. His sisters were the first to run up and greet him with a hug. He then saw Paul Heyman sitting with Colt.

"Hey" Paul said with a long face as he walked over to Punk and gave him a hug "How is she?"

"I don't know" Punk told him honestly "The Doctor said she's fine but she won't wake up and now they're running more tests"

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Paul asked him "I mean anything"

"Yea actually" Punk said pulling out his keys and handing them over to Paul "I left my car at the police station, could you pick it up and bring it over to my place?"

"Yea of course" Paul said to him

"Then go into my house I have the belt in my closet bring it to Vince. I don't care what they do with it" Punk told him

"Punk you don't know how long she's going to be here. Let's not make any rash decisions. Vince said he'd be in touch" Paul told him

"I'm not going to be at work this week or next week- I need to be there for my wife. That's my job now" Punk told him firmly "I screwed up Paul and I won't again"

"You didn't screw up" Paul said to him seriously "She went into the bathroom you're supposed to follow her there too?"

"I should have known" Punk said to him "We were lured there. I knew it! I was talking to the cop for an hour about it trying to figure out why and then she gets up and goes to the bathroom by herself- of course he was waiting! His stupid brother worked in that station he knew it like the back of his hand!"

"You can't change what happened" Paul told him "All you can do is move forward"

"Which is why I need you to do this for me" Punk said to him "Can you take care of it or not?"

"Of course" Paul said to him softly "Whatever you need"

"Thanks" Punk said to him as he ran his hands over his face

"You look tired" Paul noted

"I'm not tired I'm- I don't even know to describe it" Punk admitted taking a seat as Paul joined him "I'm angry, scared-"

"She's tough" Paul reminded him "She's going to be ok"

"Do you know what's happening with Christian?" Punk asked him "I haven't heard anything"

"Last I heard he was in lockup" Paul told him quietly "He's finally gone"

"That cop set us up" Punk told him

"The one that hit on AJ?" Paul asked and Punk nodded

"I knew he was off and I walked right into his fucking plan" Punk muttered "But I thought he just wanted me to leave AJ home so I made sure to take her with me"

"You did the right thing. Maybe that is what he wanted and by the time you would have gotten home it would have been too late" Paul offered

"I was too late anyway" Punk said to him

"Do not beat yourself up" Paul warned him "You did everything right"

"I'm all she has" Punk said to him "AJ was stabbed last night and her family hasn't even tried to contact me. She depended on me to keep her safe and I failed her. I failed her a husband and a man"

"I'm sure she doesn't see it that way" Paul said to him

"Well it's not like I could ask her" Punk muttered "She still won't wake up"

"She will wake up, you will take her home and you both will be fine" Paul told him firmly

* * *

Punk was back in AJ's room waiting on her to get back.

"Here he is" the nurse said as they wheeled AJ into the room. Punk looked and saw AJ was awake. "I told you he's been here all night. We thought we were going to have to physically pry him off of you"

"Hi baby" AJ whispered weakly as her bed was put back into position

"AJ" he said with a sigh of relief as he reached her "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone gutted me" AJ smirked lightly "It hurts but it's ok"

"The Doctor will be in shortly" the nurse told them then left the room

"I was worried when I woke up and didn't see you" AJ said as he grabbed her hand

"They wouldn't let me go with you to get the tests" Punk admitted as AJ laughed lightly "I imagine they wouldn't" she said to him

"I tried" Punk told her

"I know" she smiled "How is it I was stabbed but you look worse than I do?"

"I was scared" Punk told her honestly "Really scared"

"So was I" AJ said to him

"I'm sorry" Punk said to her. "I should have been there"

"You were there" AJ reminded him "You're not exactly allowed in the ladies restroom"

"It's not funny AJ" Punk said to her "You should hate me"

"I couldn't hate you even if I tried" AJ said to him "You kept me alive. I had the strangest dreams while I was knocked out. You saved me and you don't even realize it"

"What were the dreams about?" Punk asked

"They were really strange but I remember a light and my name being called" AJ said to him "Then I heard your voice" she said to him "That's when I woke up in the bathroom. You were calling my name"

"I was" Punk confirmed "I can't believe you heard that"

"Then I saw your face" AJ said to him "And I knew it was ok"

"How can you be so….calm and collected?" Punk asked

"I have a lot of pain meds running through my veins" she admitted with a smirk "I'm just happy to be back with you. I don't care what happened all I care about is being back here"

"I am going to spend everyday of my life making this up to you" Punk promised her

"Making what up?" AJ asked "You didn't hurt me you could never hurt me. That was Christian. You can't control all of the hate in the world even though I know you'd love to. It was Christian" she told him "You should call the police and tell them that"

"They know" Punk said to her "He turned himself in" and he saw AJ smile slightly

"It worked" she said to herself

"What worked?" Punk asked

"He told me he was going to kill me and then he'd stop running. Once I was gone he didn't need to serve a purpose anymore" AJ told him "So after he stabbed him and I fell to the ground I held my breath, I wanted him to think I was dead. I mean it helped that I passed out a few minutes later but I tried to stay still. I guess it worked"

"How do you do it?" Punk asked her "You were bleeding out on the bathroom floor and you still managed to remain calm and figure a way out"

"It's instinct I guess" she shrugged "And I watch a lot of Law & Order"

"AJ" Punk said sadly shaking his head

"Come on" she smiled lightly through the pain "I'm ok, you're ok. What else matters?"

"Nothing" Punk agreed "I wish I could be like you. You are ten times stronger and braver than I could ever be"

"I doubt that" she said to him with a faint smile "But it's ok it's my turn to be brave for the both of us"

"You always are" Punk corrected.

"You should go get some rest" AJ said to him

"No" he said to her "I'm staying and there's no way around it"

"Well could you at least ask the doctors for my rings back" she said looking at her bare left hand "I feel naked without them"

"You can't wear them while you're still here" Punk told her "Don't worry about them"

"They're really expensive" AJ said to him

"It doesn't matter" Punk said brushing it off

"It does. At least hold onto them for me?" AJ asked him and he nodded

"Ok" he agreed

"I know I got stabbed in my stomach but why does my neck feel like it's on fire?" she asked him

"He cut your tattoo" Punk told her

"Seriously?" she asked him reaching to the back of her neck but the movement caused her to hiss in pain

"Don't AJ" Punk said lowering her arm back down "You can pull a stitch just try to stay still"

"So did they find that creepy detective?" AJ asked him

"I haven't spoken to the cops" he told her honestly "I haven't even looked at my phone since we were at the station"

"So you've just been sitting here all night by yourself?" AJ asked

"Not by myself" Punk said to her "My sisters are here and Colt and Cliff."

"Good. You shouldn't be alone" AJ said to him

"Stop worrying about me" Punk said to her

"I can't help it" she admitted

"AJ please stop being nice to me" Punk said to her growing frustrated

"Hey" she said firmly causing him to look her in the eyes "Stop it. You don't get to blame yourself for this; you don't get to feel guilty. You did nothing wrong. Don't you dare take away some of the guilt Christian should be feeling, do not make things easier for him"

"I doubt he feels guilty" Punk said to her "He was smiling at me"

"You saw him?" AJ questioned

"When he turned himself in before we found you" Punk told her

"I'm sorry you had to-" AJ started

"Stop apologizing" Punk said standing up quickly and dropping her hand "You didn't do any of this"

"Either did you!" AJ yelled at him

"You were lying there at my feet bleeding and I froze" he told her falling back into the memory "I thought you were dead. I was literally ten feet away from you and I didn't even hear you screaming"

"Because I didn't scream" AJ said to him "I didn't make a sound"

"Why?" Punk asked her

"Because he said if I did he'd kill you too" AJ told him and now his guilt was piling on.

"Jesus AJ" Punk said running his hands over his head anxiously "You should have yelled"

"I thought I was dead regardless" AJ told him honestly "Don't be mad at me" she requested fearfully and his heart broke

"I'm not" he said in a softer voice as he walked towards her bed "God AJ I was so scared" he said as felt himself starting to get worked up "I'm not mad at you, I love you. I love you so fucking much that I think it could kill me" he admitted through tears and AJ was stunned. She had never seen him cry before "I can't get these images of you out of my head. You were just laying there-" he started rambled on but AJ just pulled him down so his head was resting on her chest and ran her hand over his head

"It's ok now" she assured him "We're ok"

"Don't leave me" Punk said against her. It was a request that she had made to him some time back as well but this had so much different meaning

"Never" she promised kissing the top of his head

* * *

Vince McMahon himself arrived at the hospital a few hours later with Paul Heyman at his side. Thankfully being such a smooth talker he managed to get AJ's room number and snuck up to see her and Punk. He arrived at the room and saw the door was open. When he glanced in he saw his current WWE Champion teary eyed as he spoke softly to his wife. He knocked softly and saw Punk turn his head first before catching AJ's attention.

"Hello" Vince smiled stepping inside "I would have bought flowers but they said you can't have any the moment"

"Mr. McMahon" AJ said surprised "I wasn't expecting you"

"I flew down as soon as I heard" Vince said walking towards her bed "You're our family AJ"

"Thank you" AJ said to him

"How are you feeling?" Vince asked her

"I'm in pain but it's nothing I can't handle" AJ told him

"I have no doubt" Vince smiled proudly "Punk how are you doing?"

"I'm in once piece" Punk said gruffly "If you're here about work-"

"It's not about work" Vince said to him "You two don't have to worry about work for as long as you need"

"Well Punk is going to be going back" AJ told him

"No I'm not" Punk said to her

"Phil you need to work you're the champion" AJ reminded him "I'll be fine. There's no safety issue"

"Actually there is and you're going to need help" Punk told her "I gave the belt to Vince. I'm out for as long as you are"

"You can't do that" AJ argued "Wrestlemania is right around the corner this is going to be your year"

"AJ it's not a debate" Punk told her seriously

"Whatever you want to do Phil" Vince said to him

"Have a tournament for the belt" Punk said to him "Tell the fans whatever. I'm not sure if this has made the news yet-"

"It's all over the news" Vince informed him

"So you won't even need to give them an explanation" Punk told him "Makes things easier for you"

"We should talk about this first" AJ said to him seriously

"AJ you're not going to be talking about work for a long time" Punk instructed

"Don't worry about pay either" Vince told them "I know it doesn't mean much but you both are going to be paid your full amount, bonuses included"

"That's very generous" AJ said to him with a smile

"I'd love to do more" Vince frowned "I really did want to check on you both and just let you know that you have our full support and to take as much time as you both need. There is no rush to get back and both of your spots will be waiting for you"

"Mr. Brooks?" a nurse asked from the door then noticed Vince "How did you get in here?"

"I'm very resourceful" Vince smiled charmingly towards the nurse

"He's fine" AJ said to the nurse

"Mr. Brooks could I have a word?" the nurse asked and he nodded

"I'll be right outside" Punk promised her before standing up and following the nurse

"He's going to be like that for a while" Vince laughed watching Punk leave the room. But he could see he still had an eye on AJ

"He's going to drive me crazy" AJ said with a soft chuckle

"Just try to be patient with him" Vince requested "He means well"

"I bet you have to tell yourself that all of the time when he you have any kind of meeting with him" AJ smirked

"I do" Vince laughed "But he really does have your best interests at heart."

"I know" AJ said looking towards him and now it looked like he was arguing with the nurse "Since I've been awake he's argued with four different nurses, two doctors and one orderly"

"It's his way of helping" Vince said to her

"I'm sorry if this bought unnecessary attention to the company" AJ said to him

"There's no such thing as bad publicity AJ" Vince told her "But I'm not worried about the public image I'm worried about you. I hope this is all over and you both could be at peace for now on"

"God I hope so" AJ said with a sigh that's when Punk walked back inside "What's wrong?" she asked him

"I'm going to head out" Vince said to them "I'll be in town for the night so if you need anything at all please call" he said to them

"Thank you for stopping by" AJ said to him

"Thanks Vince" Punk muttered as Vince left the room

"So what was that all about?" AJ asked

"They can't find your rings" Punk told her

"What?" AJ asked alarmed. "What do you mean? They lost them?"

"They claim you never came in with them" Punk said to her

"Is that even possible?" AJ asked "I never take them off. Not even to shower. I definitely had them on when we got to the station. Did you notice them on my hands when I was there?"

"I couldn't tell you AJ" Punk sighed sitting back in his seat

"How can you be so calm about this?" AJ asked him horrified

"How are you so worked up?" Punk countered "I'm more concerned about your health. The rings are replaceable"

"No they're not" AJ said to him "I don't want new rings I want _my_ rings"

"Maybe the EMT's took them off and forgot to hand them in" Punk said to her

"Or someone stole them" AJ said to him

"Good thing they're insured than" Punk said simply

"Phil" AJ scolded

"It's time for you to rest" Punk instructed pointing at her

"But I have to find my rings" She said to him as he pushed the button on her bed so it would go all the way back

"I'll find them" Punk told her

"How? You haven't even left to eat yet" AJ said to him

"I've got help don't worry" Punk promised her then pulled out his phone and sent a text.

* * *

_'AJ needs you .I need you to look for AJ's rings. They were either lost or stolen, check the police station. Thanks'_

"Who was that?" Colt asked

"It's Punk" Cliff said with a serious face

"Is something wrong?" Colt asked noting his hard face

"AJ needs me" Cliff said to him as Colt rolled his eyes

"I thought we discussed this little obsession with her" Colt said to him "At least stop teasing Punk about it until she's out of the hospital"

"He said she needed me" Cliff defended "Someone stole her rings"

"Someone took her rings off of her after she got stabbed?" Colt asked disgusted

"We need to find them. Well I need to find them." Cliff said to him

"Tell me Punk didn't spend all that money on her rings didn't have them ring insured?" Colt asked Cliff

"You don't get our AJ" Cliff said with a bitter laugh "It's not about the value of the ring it's about the meaning of it. So first we should-"

"How about we go to the police station?" Colt suggested standing up "I'm sure they just slipped off there"

"That's what I was going to say" Cliff said annoyed

* * *

**A/N: Colt and Cliff are on the case!**


	43. On The Case

**Chapter 43: On The Case**

* * *

Cliff and Colt arrived at the police station at around nine thirty at night.

"We should have called first" Colt said as they entered the police station

"That gives away the element of surprise" Cliff hissed at Colt

"Element of surprise?" Colt mocked "They're cops- you don't want to surprise them or they'll shoot you"

"Can I help you?" the desk sergeant asked

"Yes our friend was hurt her last night and we think she lost her rings" Colt told him

"Is the Detective on the case here?" Cliff asked "And not the fake Detective the real one"

"Sure" the sergeant said with a chuckle "Claudette?" he asked into his phone "There's two guys here to see you, they're friends with the wrestler….ok great"

"She's not just a wrestler" Cliff defended surprising him

"Cliff chill out" Colt warned tugging him away

"Hello" Claudette smiled walking over to them shaking their hands

"We're not here for pleasantries" Cliff spat and the women smiled

"You must be Cliff" she said with a small laugh "Mr. Brooks called about an hour ago and gave me a heads up you'd be coming over here"

"Great so do you have AJ's rings?" Colt asked

"No I'm afraid not" Claudette said to them

"What do you mean? Where else could they have gone?" Colt asked

"The bathroom was searched after AJ was taken to the hospital and there was no rings" Claudette told them

"Maybe Christian took them" Cliff suggested "I'll ask him myself-"

"Oh no you don't" Claudette said stepping in his way "That's not how it works here. I'll speak to him"

"Shouldn't he be in prison by now?" Colt asked him

"He's committed a lot of crimes which means there's a lot of questions" Claudette told him "It's going to be at least another day before we move him"

"Good that's plenty of time to ask him where he took AJ's rings" Cliff said firmly as Claudette just smiled at the man

"Give me a few minutes" Claudette said to him

"Being in here gives me the creeps" Cliff said to Colt

"Why?" Colt asked him

"AJ was almost killed here" Cliff reminded him "It just feels strange to be in this place"

"Yea I guess" Colt agreed looking around the place

"What if they don't have the ring?" Cliff asked him

"Then we go to the hospital and try to speak to the doctors" Colt said "After that Punk has to go out and replace them"

"She won't accept them" Cliff said firmly

"Whatever man" Colt said to him "He doesn't have to tell her they're new. He just has to get the same exact ones"

"She's not stupid Colt" Cliff said annoyed "And lying to her is bad. Have you not learned that?"

"Fine" Colt said to him as Claudette came back over to them

"Does he have them?" Cliff asked hopefully

"No but I know what happened to them" Claudette said to him

"What?" Colt asked

"He tossed them in the trash" Claudette told them

"Ok so can we look at the trash can?" Cliff asked

"They've been dumped since last night" Claudette told them "He also tossed them in a garbage outside of the bathroom so none of it was saved."

"Do you have a dumpster back here?" Cliff asked and she nodded

"It's out back you can feel free to search them" Claudette offered

"Great" Cliff said as Colt eyed him

"Are you kidding me?" Colt asked "You want me to go through the trash?"

"That ring is really important to AJ it's the least we could do" Cliff said to him "Also the ring is really expensive. We can't just let over 200 thousand dollars be flushed away"

"I'm sorry did I hear you correctly?" Claudette asked stunned "How much?"

"I thought it as a little over the top myself" Colt said to her

"She's worth every penny" Cliff scolded

"Look before you go trash hunting you should know that Christian believes AJ is dead" Claudette told him

"Really?" Colt asked "Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"He'll learn it after tomorrow. But right now he's freely giving away information because he feels with her gone he has nothing to lose anymore" Claudette told him

"But he is going to jail right?" Cliff asked her

"Of course" Claudette told them

"What about that other guy? The lying Detective?" Colt asked

"We're looking for him but technically he hasn't really committed any major crimes" Claudette told them "We'll find him though too"

* * *

AJ opened her eyes slowly and saw Punk was slouched in the chair with his eyes barely open.

"Babe" she whispered

"Yea" He said sitting up and becoming alert "What's wrong?"

"You need to sleep" AJ said to him "At home in bed. You're killing me here"

"I have slept" Punk assured her

"For longer than five minutes?" AJ asked "You're killing your back like that too"

"I just want to be here with you please don't fight me" Punk pleaded lightly

"Did you call my parents by the way?" AJ asked

"My sisters did" Punk said to her squirming in the seat uncomfortably

"They're not coming are they?" AJ asked him

"No AJ they're not" he said quietly "Your dad has some sort of bug and your mom-"

"Don't make excuses for them" AJ said to him "They just don't want to come here. Once the money stopped they stopped caring. I get it"

"They seemed concerned" Punk offered to try to ease her mind but she just smiled tightly

"You know sometimes it just feels good when you have your mom with you" AJ said to him "It just gives you the feeling like everything is going to be ok. It's like when you fall off your bike for the first time and she picks you up and dries your tears. I miss that feeling"

"Well I'm not your mom but I promise to pick you up when you fall" Punk told her

"I know" she said to him with a smile "You've been more than great with me. There's just a void I have now. Promise me when we have children you won't let me back that. We'll always be there"

"AJ" he started off with a light laugh "It's not even a concern in my head"

"I just don't understand how you can turn your back on your child" AJ said in disbelief "I mean I figured once you have a child something changes in you. You have to love them right? You don't really get a choice"

"People change" Punk told her

"I just feel like I did something wrong" AJ admitted "I must have been a terrible daughter-"

"You're not the terrible one in this situation" Punk told her sternly "Don't even think about that right now"

"If you weren't here I'd truly have no family" AJ said to him

"Well you're stuck with me forever" Punk told her seriously as she smiled

"Good" She said then looked down at her hand "Any luck on finding my rings?" she asked him

"Not yet but I've got two of the best on the case" Punk told her

"Who?" AJ asked

"Colt and Cliff" he said seriously causing her to let out a loud laugh

"Ouch" she said still laughing holding her wound "I have to remember that"

"Seriously you're going to rip a stitch" Punk warned

"I'm sorry I just can't imagine them hunting around town looking for my rings" AJ smirked

"I can imagine Cliff in a stupid hat, glasses and a pipe actually" Punk said to her

"They are so good to us" AJ said to him

"Yea they are" Punk agreed

"And any news on Christian?" AJ asked him

"He's still locked up" Punk said with a shrug "Cops will be by tomorrow to get a statement from you but he confessed to everything from what I've heard. What did happen AJ?"

_AJ walked into the bathroom and headed over to the sink first. She was so tired and now she was frustrated with everything going on. She didn't want Punk to see her that way. She turned on the faucet and ran the cold water for a moment before splashing some on her face. When she looked up she saw Christian's reflection standing behind her._

"_Don't say a word" he warned _

"_Give me reason not to" AJ said looking at his reflection then felt something at her back_

"_And that's not just because I'm happy to see you" Christian laughed as he pointed the knife into her spin "Then I'll kill Mr. Brooks" _

"_You'd never get away with it in the middle of the police station" AJ said to him_

"_Really?" Christian scoffed "I walked in here didn't I? And I've been hiding in this bathroom for over an hour" _

"_What do you want?" AJ asked "Aren't you over this yet?"_

"_I heard what happened with Jack" Christian said running his free hand down her cheek "He's going to die for touching you"_

"_Just get out of here Christian" AJ said to him _

"_Turn around April" Christian demanded and she did as she was told "I watch you on TV, read about your wedding- you've killed me April"_

"_I didn't-" AJ started but he placed his finger over her lips _

"_Now isn't the time for speaking" Christian whispered "If I can't have you no one cane have you"_

"_I'm already his" AJ whispered _

"_Because you put on a ring and branded your perfect body with his name?" Christian scoffed "I don't think so dear. I have nothing and now either will you. Once you're officially gone I will be too" _

"_We can talk-" AJ started but she felt the knife rip through her stomach _

"_I'm sorry sweetheart but I don't have time to talk" Christian told her and leaned in and kissed her pained face before slowly pulling the knife out. She hit the floor next and held her breath "You look like an angel" he whispered _

"That's all I can remember" AJ said to him "After that I woke up in the bathroom with you. It all happened so fast"

"He didn't have much time I guess" Punk said to her

"What did he do after that? Did he try to run at least?" AJ asked

"He walked out of the bathroom and up to the first officer he could find and turned himself in" Punk told her "I guess he thought his mission was accomplished"

"I just don't understand why he'd turn himself in" AJ said to him "It makes no sense. He had the money to stay on the run for the rest of his life"

"I guess it wasn't about his freedom" Punk shrugged "It was just all about you"

"I wonder if he knows I'm alive" AJ said to him "He's going to be so mad"

"Good" Punk said to her "He doesn't deserve to think he won."

"What if he sends someone after me again?" AJ asked "I mean he still has pull-"

"We're going to talk to the police about all of that but I don't think we're going to head right back home" Punk said to her

"Where would we go?" AJ asked

"Somewhere that you can recuperate in peace" Punk said to her "Where you don't have to hear the noisy streets or deal with annoying fans or the press banging at the door"

"Somewhere warm?" she asked hopefully

"Would you like that?" Punk smiled

"Yes I think I would" She said to him "I can see myself really recuperating fast laying by a pool or on a beach"

"It's not a vacation" Punk reminded her "You're go to be in bed for a while"

"Well if I could smell the ocean from my bed that would probably keep me from going stir crazy" AJ said to him

"Done" Punk said to her "Once we know when you're getting out I'll book us a place"

"Are you sure about work though?" AJ asked him "All you've ever wanted was your shot at headlining Wrestlemania. It might not happen again"

"All I want right now in my life is to be with you" Punk told her "I wouldn't even be able to concentrate on work with you at home. I haven't even given it a second thought so you shouldn't either"

"Well I guess this means I'm out of the Diva's title picture" AJ said to him

"For now" Punk said to her "In a few months-"

"A few months?" AJ asked

"AJ you had major surgery. Worry about getting back to a hundred percent then we'll worry about work ok" Punk said to her and she nodded.

"Hey guys" Cliff said walking into the room

"Hey" Punk said to turning around to see Cliff

"I'm so glad you both are still up" Cliff beamed

"You found my rings?" AJ asked hopefully sitting up quickly

"Would I ever let you down?" Cliff asked presenting her with the rings

"Oh my god" She said happily taking the rings from him "I would get up and kiss you if I could" she said to him as she put the rings back on her finger

"I can always come to you" Colt offered but Punk blocked his way

"Where is Colt?" Punk asked

"I'm outside" Colt said to them

"Come in here" Punk said to him

"Not a good idea" Colt said

"Please Colt I haven't seen you yet" AJ pleaded and of course he couldn't say no to her. He walked in the room and not only did he look filthy but he smelt horrible

"Oh my gosh" AJ said covering nose and mouth with her hand

"Holy shit man" Punk muttered stepping away

"We had to look in the trash" Cliff defended

"No we didn't- I did" Colt corrected "I was in the dumpster handing Cliff bags while he was cutting them open outside the dumpster"

"Thanks so much for helping Colt" AJ said from under hand "Phil" she said waving him over "I'm going to be sick" she said to him

"Get out man!" Cliff shouted to Colt

"Both of you give her a minute" Punk said ushering them out of the room then went back inside to help AJ

"How could you take all the glory like that?" Colt asked him "You didn't even mention me"

"How could you make AJ sick?" Cliff shot back "Like she hasn't been through enough?"

"Enough" Punk said stepping outside and closing the door behind him

"Is she ok?" Cliff asked

"She's fine the smell kind of turned her stomach" Punk said to Colt "Sorry man"

"No I'm sorry. That's why I waited outside" Colt said to him

"Thank you both of you for doing that" Punk said to them

"I did most of the work" Cliff said to him

"Of course you did" Punk smirked

"He really did" Colt agreed "He was like Columbo"

"Well as a reward I'm going to let you sit with AJ until I get back" Punk said to him and his eyes widened

"You're leaving me with AJ?" Cliff asked happily

"I know you'll look out for her" Punk said to him

"Where are you going?" Colt asked

"Home to shower and bring some of her things back" Punk told him "You can give me a ride right?"

"Can I use your other shower?" Colt asked

"Only if you burn your clothes" Punk smirked "I'll be back-" he started when he turned back to Cliff but noticed he was gone. He peeked inside the room and saw he was already sitting next to AJ holding her hand

"Are you sure trust him with her?" Colt remarked bitterly

"Yea" Punk laughed walking back into the room "I'll be back in an hour" he said to AJ who just smiled and nodded

"Take your time" She said to him "Or even a nap while you're at it" she smirked

"Take the next two days off" Cliff told him "I won't leave this chair"

"Great" Punk said sarcastically then gently kissed AJ on her lips "Make sure she doesn't get out of the bed. And if she's in pain call the nurses because she won't"

"Got it" Cliff said to him "Don't worry AJ is in great hands"

"We'll be fine" She giggled noticing Punk's annoyed face

* * *

On their way back to the hospital Punk volunteered to drive.

"Wow this car is great" Punk said as Colt sat nervously in the passenger seat "Drives like a dream"

"Yea super expensive too" Colt said to him through gritted teeth "I mean not the price of AJ's engagement ring or anything but still pretty expensive and did I mention new?"

"Ten times" Punk said to him as he speed down the street

"Jesus" Colt muttered "Is this like a death wish thing?"

"Nope I'm actually feeling pretty good" Punk said to him

"So you don't want to die?" Colt asked

"Nope" Punk responded

"So why are you driving like this?" Colt asked annoyed

"It's fun" Punk said to him

"Great get you behind a fast car and you turn into Vin Disel" Colt muttered

"What?" Punk asked

"Nothing, nothing" Colt said quickly

"Look I really want to thank you for coming to the hospital that night and helping with AJ's rings" Punk said to him seriously "I won't forget it"

"You don't have to thank me, we're friends" Colt said to him "You'd do the same for me in a heartbeat"

"I would" Punk said to him "I'm taking off with AJ once she gets released" he confided

"Where to?" Colt asked

"I'm thinking Hawaii or the Bahamas" Punk said to him "She wants to be somewhere warm."

"Good idea. You both deserve a break" Colt said as he watched the road and his hand clutched the dashboard

"Come with us" Punk said to him "My treat"

"Seriously?" Colt asked "You want me to tag along on like your honeymoon?"

"Nothing will be going on like that. She needs to recuperate, I know you're having trouble getting gigs and I can use the company" Punk said to him "I'm sure Cliff is going to take me up on the offer to join us as well"

"I'm in" Colt said with a laugh "A sweet vacation on your dime? I wouldn't pass that up even if it was your honeymoon"

"I figured different people could come down but I want you both there because you both mean a lot to her" Punk said to him "To me too"

"Man it's what we do" Colt reminded "We're family"

"Well she doesn't have family" Punk said to him "So this means a lot to her"

"I love AJ and I'm glad she's ok and more importantly I'm glad she found you and pulled you out of your dark cave" Colt told him honestly and then Colt realized Punk had parked the car and noticed they weren't at the hospital "What are we doing back here? I was just here!"

"I need to see him" Punk said getting out of the car

"Wait no!" Colt yelled running after him "He doesn't even know AJ is alive"

"Good I can be the one to break the news to him" Punk said to him as he opened the door and walked inside

"Mr. Brooks" Claudette said surprised "I wasn't expecting to you"

"I want to see him" Punk said to him

"He wants to see you too" Claudette told him coolly "I think it would be in your best interests though if you did not see him. No good could come from speaking with him"

"I want to see him" Punk repeated "I want to look him in the eyes and let him know it was all for nothing"

"He doesn't know she's alive" Claudette said to him "We were about to tell him"

"Let me do it" Punk insisted

"I'm going with you" Claudette said to him "And if you put your hands on him I'll have you arrested as well am I making myself clear?" she asked

"Yes" Punk said to him

"Are you sure this a good idea?" Colt asked

"No" both Punk and Claudette said at the same time


	44. Going Too Far

**Chapter 44: Going Too Far**

* * *

Christian was sitting in an interrogation room with his hands still cuffed. He was very calm for a man who was kissing his freedom goodbye.

"I thought the time for talking was over" Christian said to Detective Claudette Williams

"It is on my end" Claudette said holding the door open so Punk could step into the room "He has a few things he'd like to get off his chest though"

"Wonderful" Christian beamed "Hello Mr. Brooks" Punk just clenched his jaw and was now starting to think this wasn't such a good idea. "I'm so sorry about April"

"I've never believed a word out of your mouth before I'm not going to start now" Punk said bitterly

"You're holding up better than I would have imagined" Christian said to him "You're just like me. You realize how free you are. You're welcome"

"Excuse me?" Punk asked stunned

"You won't have to deal with the emotional mess of her leaving you like she did me" Christian told him "Because she would have. She would have gotten bored and left you the same as me"

"We're not the same person and AJ would never leave me" Punk said to him

"I guess you'll never know" Christian said simply

"Oh I will" Punk said to him "I can't stay long I have to get back to her I just wanted to be to your face when you found it"

"What do you mean waiting for you?" Christian asked quietly

"She's alive" Punk informed him "She's great and she's going to be coming home soon. You didn't kill her"

"Impossible" Christian said to him

"She outsmarted you" Punk shot at him "Just like she did Jack"

"She can't be" Christian said to himself

"I wouldn't be here right now if she wasn't" Punk said to him "And even though you put her through hell she looks as beautiful as she did the first day I met her"

"You're lying!" Christian screamed

"It was all for nothing. Turning yourself in like this- all you did was guarantee us some much deserved time off and the fact that you can't get to her so I should really be thanking you I suppose"

"I want to see-" Christian started

"Don't you dare finish that sentence" Punk warned him "You're never going to see her again"

"You've told me that before" Christian reminded him "Look how that worked out"

"You're not going anywhere for a very long, long time" Punk smiled "You'll be in prison while I'm at home with my wife. She's going to continue wrestling, she's going to continue to be my wife and you're going to be in a prison cell wondering where it all went wrong. But you won't be alone. Maybe they'll let you bunk with a few of your buddies since so many of them are already there"

"Some" Christian agreed "But not all"

"Bring it" Punk mocked "I'm ready for anything and I'm not going to be so nice anymore"

"It's enough" Claudette said "It's time to leave" she said to Punk

"You're pathetic" Punk spat at the man

"And you're delusional" Christian said but before Punk could respond Claudette pushed him outside the door

"Feel better?" Claudette asked

"Not really" Punk said to him

"Told ya" Claudette said to him "Go back to your wife now. You both don't have to worry about him anymore"

* * *

A week later AJ was finally released from the hospital. Punk was packing up for their extended vacation while she had strict instructions to not leave the couch. Colt and Cliff were around also to help with AJ.

"I made your favorite" Cliff smiled walking over the couch with a tray of food placing it on the coffee table

"You're too good to me" AJ said to Cliff who smiled lightly "But you know I'm allowed to get up and walk around right? The doctor said it would be good for me"

"What does he know?" Cliff mocked

"Look whose here to see the patient" Colt announced and Eve stepped in behind him

"Eve!" AJ said happily as Eve walked over and gave her a hug

"I'm so happy to see you" Eve said taking a seat next to her "How are you feeling?"

"Much better" AJ said to her "My wound is still pretty bad but if I don't move around too much I'm ok"

"Good" Eve said to her "I was worried sick. Sorry I couldn't get here sooner but I just wrapped up my contract and I have a hundred things going on with Rener-"

"It's fine" AJ assured her "There's not much you could do anyway but it is nice to have a female friend"

"Yea it must be grueling to have three gorgeous men waiting on you hand and foot" Eve replied sarcastically

"You think I'm gorgeous?" Cliff asked with a cheeky grin

"Shut up" Eve laughed "Where is Phil by the way?"

"He's upstairs you should go see him" AJ said to her and she nodded

"I'll be right back" Eve said to her "And I'm watching you Compton" she said eyeing Cliff

"No complaints here" Cliff grinned watching her walk up the steps

"You're cheating on me?" AJ teased to Cliff

"Never" He said quickly looking back to AJ

"Hey there" Eve said stepping into the bedroom

"Eve" He said with a sigh as she walked over and hugged him

"How are you holding up?" she asked him

"Good" he said to her

"I'm not Colt or AJ you can tell me the truth" Eve said to him "You gave up your wrestlemania match, you almost lost your wife, you're packing up to leave- you can't be good"

"It's difficult" Punk admitted taking a seat on the bed and Eve joined him "The wrestling thing doesn't bother me much but I wish I could have had a last match you know?"

"You'll be back" Eve said to him

"Yea but I was the longest reigning champion of the modern era and all anyone is going to remember is how I handed the belt over" Punk said to her "I didn't think I had a choice"

"You did and you made the right one" she assured him

"I know" Punk said to her "What about you? Sorry I missed your match"

"Believe me you're the only one with a valid excuse to have missed my last match" Eve said to him with a smile

"What do you mean?" Punk asked

"Rener didn't show" Eve confided "We got into a stupid argument and he blew off the show. He was actually supposed to come here with me but he's still pissed"

"You'll work it out you always do" Punk said to her

"I feel like shit" Eve admitted

"Want to come on a tropical vacation?" Punk offered

"Yes but I'll have to pass" she laughed "I'm sorry I'm not here to dump all my problems on you"

"Hey it's what I'm here for" Punk said "Hearing about someone else's problems is actually refreshing"

"When did our lives get so complicated?" Eve asked her friend

"We fell in love with complicated people" Punk smirked

"Are you sure you're ok?" Eve asked him with a frown "I know this isn't easy for you and I know you're keeping it all in"

"I don't know if what I'm doing is right anymore" Punk admitted "I'm constantly second guessing myself and I hate that I never used to do that"

"Because it's not all about you anymore" Eve pointed out "You're doing fine"

"I hope so" Punk said to her "So how long are you in town for?"

"Just the night. I have to get home and face the music at some point" Eve said to him with a bitter smile

"You're staying here right?" Punk asked

"I think you have enough guests" Eve laughed

"We have plenty of room" Punk assured her

"Ok" Eve said to him

* * *

Later that night AJ was settled in bed and feeling very tired.

"Why am I always so tired?" She asked him annoyed

"Could have to do with that gaping stab wound in your stomach" Punk teased

"Or the medicine" AJ smirked with a yawn

"Get some sleep because we're leaving early" Punk instructed

"Does Eve seem off to you?" AJ asked him

"What do you mean?" Punk asked her

"She seems sad" AJ said to him "Did she say anything to you?"

"I think she's having some issues with Rener" Punk said to her "She didn't go into details"

"I should talk to her" AJ said sitting up

"No you should lay down" Punk said easing her back into the bed and pulling the covers back up

"She's our friend and she needs a friend right now" AJ said to him

"If she wanted to talk she would have" Punk said to her

"Phil" she whined

"Fine" Punk said annoyed "I'll talk to her you go to sleep"

"Thank you" AJ smiled "You're a good man"

"Yea, yea" he said walking to the door "Do you need anything?"

"No" she said curling into the bed "Just make sure she's ok"

"Yea ok" Punk said walking out of the bedroom then headed down the hall and knocked on Eve's door.

"Yea?" she asked opening the door

"Were you crying?" he asked alarmed stepping into her room and closing the door behind him

"No- yes" she admitted feeling embarrassed

"What the hell is going on?" Punk asked "Things can't be that bad"

"He admitted he has cold feet about our engagement" Eve confided

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Punk asked

"Because you have real problems to deal with it" Eve said to him as she wiped her eyes

"You're our friend Eve, AJ is really worried about you" Punk said to her

"I didn't mean to do that" Eve said shamefully "She has enough going on"

"So you're calling off the engagement?" Punk asked surprised

"I don't know- he doesn't know" Eve said to him "I'm just so confused"

"Hey come here" he said pulling her into a hug as she cried

"I'm sorry for breaking down like this" she said against his shoulder

"I've been there" Punk smirked against her hair then she pulled away

"AJ is very lucky to have you" Eve said to him honestly

"I wonder sometimes" Punk said to her honestly

"Don't second guess yourself Phil" Eve warned "You're a wonderful man and you've proved that"

"Then why don't I feel like it's enough?" Punk asked her

"We're in the same boat" she smirked lightly. Punk wasn't sure why he didn't pull away when Eve reached up to kiss him or why he pulled her closer. But it felt like weeks of pent of aggression was finally pouring out of his body. She was emotional, he was emotional and this wasn't going to end well. He finally pulled away after a few minutes

"I'm so sorry" she said placing her hand gently over her lips "I-" she started but Punk cupped her face and pulled her into another kiss this time their mouths opened and their tongues battled for dominance.

A moment later Eve was lying on the bed and Punk was on top of her as they got lost in the kiss. He knew in his head he was wrong but couldn't pull himself off of the former Diva who he had considered a friend for so many years. Eve arched her back slightly to push into Punk who was now starting to grow hard with every moment she made under his body. His hands started to rub her sides under her shirt while she grinded against him.

"Hey Eve-" Cliff said walking into the room and froze upon seeing Punk on top of her. Punk quickly climbed off Eve who look mortified and covered her face with her hands

"Cliff-" Punk started but he turned and walked out of the room "Fuck!" he yelled

"I'm sorry Punk" Eve said sadly "That was so wrong-"

"It wasn't just you" Punk said annoyed

"I should go" Eve said as she got off the bed

"Don't go it's late" Punk said to her "Just stay here it's fine. We made a mistake but there were no lines crossed"

"You're married to one of my friends" Eve said to him "Lines were crossed"

* * *

Cliff stormed down the stairs where Colt was waiting for him

"So does Eve want some food or what?" Colt asked

"Fuck her" Cliff said bitterly

"Dude" Colt said surprised "What's your problem?"

"I just walked into Eve's room and you won't even believe what I saw" Cliff said as his face turned beat red

"What?" Colt asked

"I can't even say it!" Cliff shouted. Colt had seen many sides of Cliff but anger like this wasn't one.

"Just say it" Colt encouraged

"She was in bed with Punk" Cliff said to him and Colt laughed

"What kind of a joke is that? And keep it down AJ might still be up" Colt warned

"It's not a joke" Cliff said seriously "He was on top of her kissing her, touching her-"

"No way man" Colt said to him seriously "He wouldn't do that"

"He did" Cliff said furiously "And they're probably up there finishing what they started"

"What is wrong with you?" Colt asked him "I get you have this little crush on AJ but this is-"

"It's not bullshit!" Cliff yelled

"Keep it down" Punk warned stepping into the kitchen

"Don't tell me what to do" Cliff spat "You're the one who fucked up not me!"

"Nothing happened" Punk told him

"Nothing happened?" Cliff mocked "You almost fucked your friends fiancée while your own wife was three doors down!"

"It didn't get that far!" Punk yelled at him

"Woah" Colt said standing up looking alarmed "You really were with Eve?"

"It wasn't like that" Punk said to Colt

"What was it like?" Cliff demanded "It looked like you two were about to have sex or am I overreacting?"

"Tell him he's overreacting" Colt said to Punk but he remained silent "What the fuck man?" he asked his friend

"You are such a piece of shit" Cliff said pointing at Punk "I mean are you really that that much of a pig you can't wait until your wife is healed? You just have to fuck this first woman you see?"

"I suggest you shut up" Punk warned taking a step further "You don't know what you're talking about"

"I know what I saw" Cliff said to him "You should be ashamed of yourself"

"I am!" Punk yelled

"Yea you look really broken up" Cliff mocked "Mister high and mighty crying about your wife being hurt but you really don't even give a shit about her do you?"

"Calm down" Colt warned Cliff

"You always take his side" Cliff said to him "You can't save him from this!"

"I'm not discussing this with you" Punk said to him "Go upstairs, go to sleep and calm down"

"Will you be discussing it with AJ?" Cliff challenged "I sure hope so"

"Mind your own business" Punk warned

"So you're going to lie to her" Cliff said simply "Since being married you cheated on your wife and let her get stab and it's only been a few weeks I'd hate to see what the fuck you have planned for your one year anniversary" that was the straw that broke the camels back…well Punk's back actually and he grabbed Cliff by the collar of his shirt

"You're in my house" Punk reminded him "Don't-"

"What is going on?" AJ asked stepping into the kitchen and Punk quickly let go of Cliff "I asked you to check on Eve not beat up Cliff" she teased lightly thinking they were arguing over something petty

"You shouldn't be down here" was all Punk said to her

"I heard all the yelling" AJ said to him "Is someone going to fill me in why you two are attacking each other?"

"It's nothing" Punk said to her as Cliff bit on is lower lip

"You should go upstairs and rest. These two are always like this" Colt said to her with a smile

"No they're not" AJ frowned "Are you ok?" She asked Punk

"Yea" Punk said quietly

"Cliff?" she asked him

"I'm not the one whose hurt trust me" Cliff said to her as Punk shot him a glare

"Take me to bed?" AJ asked Punk feeling the tension getting stronger. She didn't want to see them come to blows

"Aren't you supposed to be putting Eve to bed?" Cliff asked and that's when Punk looked like he was going to murder Cliff on the spot

"Yea is she ok?" AJ asked Punk trying to get his attention "Phil?" she asked tugging on his arm

"She's fine" Punk said to her

"I bet" Cliff smirked

"Enough" Colt said to them

"Either someone tells me what you guys are fighting about or someone take me to bed" AJ said to them "I'm not supposed to be climbing the steps constantly"

"Come on" Punk said walking her out of the kitchen

"What the fuck man?" Colt asked Cliff

"I'm not the one who cheated on their wife" Cliff hissed, low enough so AJ couldn't hear it

"Let him handle it" Colt said to him "It's not your business"

"AJ is our friend too" Cliff reminded him "We've been at her side for a week now and you're just going to let this slide because you've known Punk longer?"

"I'm not letting anything slide" Colt told him "But I'm not judging either and I'm certainly not going to upset AJ about it. Let him a handle it"

"That's bullshit and you know it" Cliff said to him "He's wrong"

"Stay out of Cliff" Colt warned

"Whatever" Cliff muttered "I'm going to bed"

"This is going to be an interesting vacation" Colt said to himself as he watched Cliff storm away

* * *

**A/N: Um...sorry?**


	45. Your Cheating Heart

**A/N: Ouch! Some of you have been a bit harsh. I expected it and welcome it though. But please try to rememebr that it is just a story and it's meant to have drama. That's just the kind of stories I like to write so if you all are looking for rainbows and butterflys you're going to be disapointed in this story and all my other ones as well. Also keep in mind it was kiss and not a three month long affair so let's keep it in presepective people. Anyway here's the next update! **

* * *

**Chapter 45: Your Cheating Heart**

* * *

The resort in Hawaii Punk picked out was amazing. It was huge, beautiful and very private. The resort even had a private beach so they didn't have to worry about press or random fans approaching them. Not that AJ could go hang out on the beach anytime soon it was still a nice thought.

"Was it just me or was that the most awkward plane ride ever?" AJ asked Punk

"What do you mean?" Punk asked

"You and Cliff" she pointed "It was fifteen hour flight and you two didn't say word to each other. Why won't you tell me what you two are fighting about?"

"Because it's nothing for you to worry about" Punk told her quietly "Just leave it alone I'll take care of it"

"We're going to be here a while" AJ pointed

"I know and I'm not going to let him ruin this trip for us" Punk said to her firmly "Now get into the bed because you're supposed to be resting" he instructed

"But I at least want to step onto the beach" AJ argued lightly but Punk wasn't having it

"Maybe later" he said to her "I'll bring you in food then you can sleep"

"You're so good to me" she smiled kissing his lips "Thank you for taking such good care of me" and just like that Punk's guilt hit him hard. He just smiled weakly then headed out of the bedroom.

* * *

"Where did he go?" Punk asked Colt who was in the living room

"He went to clear his head" Colt told him

"He'll be walking a long time than" Punk snorted

"Dude" Colt said to him seriously "What the hell were you thinking? I mean you do realize how wrong you were right?"

"Of course I do" Punk said to him "And I wasn't fucking thinking. I would never cheat on AJ let alone with one of my friends' fiancées"

"But you did" Colt pointed out

"I didn't have sex with her all we did was kiss" Punk said to him

"It's still cheating" Colt said to him "You almost throw men threw walls who look at AJ the wrong way how would you feel about her kissing one of them?"

"I know alright!" Punk said "I feel like shit! Are you happy?"

"No I'm not because now I know this secret and I have to lie to AJ" Colt said to him "You're putting me and Cliff in a real shitty spot"

"I'm sorry" Punk said to him

"Don't be sorry just fix it" Colt demanded

"How? I can't take it back" Punk said to him

"Make it right" Colt suggested "Tell AJ"

"Tell AJ? Tell my wife who is recuperating from a stab wound that I made out with her friend?" Punk asked him "I can't do that"

"You shouldn't have done it to begin with" Colt said to him

"I can't lose AJ" Punk told him "She'll leave me"

"You don't know that" Colt said to him "She loves you a lot more than you even deserve at the moment"

"Fuck" Punk groaned

"Looking for Eve?" Cliff asked coming behind Punk

"Don't push me" Punk warned

"Oh sorry I don't want to upset you or anything" Cliff said to him "How's AJ doing? Is she resting?"

"Don't talk about her" Punk said to him

"That's why we're here isn't it?" Cliff asked "To take care of AJ? Or have you completely forgotten about her?"

"I can't deal with your shit right now" Punk said annoyed

"Stop treating me like the bad guy!" Cliff yelled "You should be thanking me because if I hadn't walked in you would have done something you couldn't have taken back!"

"I know!" Punk yelled "Fucking hell I know alright!? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to man up and tell your wife what a scumbag you are" Cliff said to him

"Why Cliff?" Punk asked him "You think she's going to leave me and jump into bed with you?" he asked him and now Colt was starting to tense up he knew this was going south real fast. "You think I'm really going to let that happen?"

"You think I would do that to you?" Cliff asked him surprised "You really think I'd betray you like that? I'm not you- I have loyalty! Not that you even deserve it"

"Oh please you've wanted to get with AJ since the day Jay showed us her tape of her wrestling" Punk snorted "You're always saying inappropriate shit to her and I let it all slide because we're friends"

"We are friends which is why I would never touch AJ!" Cliff yelled "I'm messing around with her and you. And you know what? Yea if you weren't with AJ I'd make a move on her and I probably should once she divorces your cheating ass!"

"I will break your fucking neck first" Punk spat as he got in Cliff's face

"Calm down" Colt warned his two friends, stepping in-between them who were nose to nose now

"Where was all this passion for your wife when you were about to bang Eve last night?" Cliff mocked.

"Oh shit" Colt muttered looking to the side

"Step out of the way Colt" Punk warned

"AJ-" Colt started and both men turned to see AJ at the bottom of the staircase. The hurt look on her face was something like Punk had never seen

"AJ wait" Punk said walking towards her but she darted up the stairs. By the time Punk caught up to her she slammed the door in his face and he heard it lock "AJ open the door" he said knocking but it was silent. After a few minutes of knocking and pleading he turned and stormed down the steps "Are you happy now?"

"I'm not the one who cheated on AJ you are" Cliff pointed out calmly

"And now she knows because you had to play high and mighty" Punk spat

"Oh give me a break" Cliff scoffed "You're the one who cheated, you're the one who yelled about it and you're the one who got caught. I will go check on her though because she's probably devastated right now" he said walking towards the steps but Punk stood in his way

"I don't want you near her" Punk said to him "You're going to make shit worse to make yourself look better"

"Jesus Christ man! I would never touch AJ!" Cliff yelled "You're the guilty one here!"

"He's right" Colt agreed

"Great you too?" Punk asked Colt

"You don't even seem to feel bad about" Colt said to him honestly

"What is wrong with you man? You've been a completely different person for weeks now" Cliff said agreeing with Colt

"Gee what has happened the last few weeks?" Punk mocked

"You went through some shit I get that" Cliff said to him "I understand acting out but AJ went through it all too but she didn't try to fuck one of your friends"

"Fuck this" Punk spat turning around and storming out of the house

* * *

AJ was in her room trying to calm herself down. She didn't know the full story but she had heard enough. She felt her shirt was damp and sticking to her stomach and saw the blood on it. She must have torn one of her stitches when she ran up the stairs.

"Shit" she hissed lifting her shirt and saw her bandaged was completely covered in blood. She tried to apply pressure to it with a rag but it stung too much "Oh god" she moaned in pain. Now wasn't the time to prove a point she went towards her door holding the small rag to her stomach and stepped into the hallway and headed down the stairs. She was actually hoping to find Punk she wanted to know what was going on.

"Phil?" her voice asked faintly surprising Colt

"AJ?" Colt asked walking over to her then saw her shirt

"I need help" she said through pain removing the rag

* * *

Cliff had chased after Punk who was walking down the beach.

"Hey!" Cliff shouted racing towards him but Punk just ignored him "What are you doing out here? You need to go back and talk to her!"

"I'm not even going to bother" Punk said to him

"What is with you man?" Cliff asked jerking his arm so he would face him "You have such a great thing with AJ why did you kiss Eve?"

"I don't know!" Punk yelled "I wish I had an answer that fixed it or excused me but I don't!"

"Do you like Eve?" Cliff asked

"God no" Punk said to him "I mean she's great but she's not even my type! I haven't slept in days, I haven't eaten- all I've done is take care of AJ. I just wanted to make things up to her prove to her I'm a good enough husband for her and then I went to see Eve because I knew she was upset and she was crying and I connected with her briefly in that moment and we kissed and we got carried away but that's all it was. It didn't mean shit to me"

"So go tell that to your wife" Cliff said to him

"It doesn't make it right Cliff" Punk spat "That's not an excuse- I don't have an excuse!"

"You're right you don't" Cliff said to him "You made a mistake and guess what you're human. You can't always be perfect"

"I want to be though at least for her" Punk said to him

"Maybe that's your problem" Cliff said to him "Maybe you're running around and trying too damn hard. AJ didn't marry you because you're perfect she married you because she loved you with all of your imperfections. She doesn't blame you for the stabbing"

"I blame me" Punk said to him

"You're insane" Cliff laughed "You're not fucking perfect get it through your head!"

"You'd be better for AJ" Punk said to him "At least you wouldn't cheat on her"

"I would be better for AJ" Cliff said seriously "I'm kidding"

"Why are you being nice to me now?" Punk asked him "I felt better when you wanted to kick my ass"

"Because I can see you feel guilty" Cliff said to him "That's all I needed to see to know that you realize you made a huge mistake"

"I can't face her" Punk said to him "I can't look at her face and see the pain on it knowing I caused it"

"Well suck it up" Cliff told him "You did cause it and you're going to fix it"

* * *

AJ was on the couch with her shirt off and just her bra while Colt re-bandaged her stomach.

"I still think you should go to the hospital" Colt said to her "I'm not a doctor"

"It's fine it already stopped bleeding" AJ said to him "You did a good job"

"Look about earlier…" Colt started off

"Does he want to divorce me?" AJ asked him

"No of course not" Colt said to her

"So why did he do it?" AJ asked him

"I don't know" Colt admitted quietly "He's not thinking clearly, he hasn't been thinking clearly since your stabbing" he told her "The night after you woke up we went for a drive and he was so erratic and out of character" he said to her

"What do you mean?" AJ asked

"He was driving all crazy" Colt said to her "It's something I wouldn't normally think about but Punk is actually a cautious driver. It was almost like he had a death wish"

"The night he saw Christian?" AJ asked him and he nodded

"I know it's not an excuse but he was really messed up after everything" Colt said to him "He sobbed in my arms. I've seen him cry over the years, tear up- but nothing like that night in the hospital. A part of him broke inside and I don't think he's fixed it yet"

"Doesn't make what he did right" AJ said to him

"No it certainly doesn't" Colt agreed "But I know he loves you and I know he would never hurt you so this confuses me just as much as it does you." He said as he poked her stomach lightly "Is that tight enough?" he asked her

"Oh god" she moaned in pain "Yes! It's tight" she said to him

"What's this?" Punk asked walking into the house

"You've got to be kidding me" Colt muttered. AJ was shirtless on the couch moaning about something being tight "Not what it looks like" he said quickly standing up with his arms in the air "See fully dressed" he said to Punk

"I popped a stitch" AJ said not looking at him "Since you were gone Colt helped me"

"I was a perfect gentleman" Colt said to him

"Can you give me a minute?" Punk asked Colt who nodded and walked outside to find Cliff

"I really don't want to talk to you" AJ said looking away from him

"I'm sorry" he said to her and she just nodded

"I'm sure you are" AJ said to him

"I messed up" he added

"I know you did" AJ agreed "Why?" she asked finally looking at him

"I don't know" Punk told her honestly "It was an in the moment thing. She was upset and I was upset"

"If you were upset why didn't you talk to me?" AJ asked him

"I don't want to burden you" Punk said to her

"Oh that's nice. You don't want to burden me but cheating on me is ok" AJ said to him as he nodded his head, she made a good point

"All I can do is apologize" Punk said to her softly

"You destroyed our trust" AJ said hurtfully "And that's the best you can come up with?"

"I can't change it I wish I could" Punk told her honestly

"Why?" AJ asked "Are you attracted to her?"

"No" he answered quickly

"Is it because I can't…is it because I can't sleep with you? I'm hurt right now-" AJ started

"God no AJ" Punk said feeling disgusted with himself

"Is it because you have feelings for her?" AJ asked

"No" he answered again "It was because she was there that's all"

"I was there too" AJ said to him "right down the hall as a matter of fact"

"I know" Punk said to her but she remained silent. "Say something please AJ. How can I fix this?"

"I don't know" AJ admitted "I'm mad at you but at the same time I love you- I just don't know. Where you even going to tell me?"

"I don't know" he old her honestly "It didn't mean anything to me"

"It must have meant something or you wouldn't have kept it from me" AJ said to him "How far did you two even get?"

"We just kissed" Punk said to her "She felt horrible and so do I"

"She should" AJ said to him "I know you're suffering with all this Christian drama too and I know you've been out of character but she shouldn't have taken advantage of that"

"She wasn't prying on me AJ" Punk said to her

"I don't even know what to think" AJ told him "I can't even look at you right now. Maybe I should have seen this coming" she said to him "I mean you cheated on two of your girlfriends with me and you never gave a shit about them"

"You're not my girlfriend" Punk reminded her "You're my wife"

"That makes it worse" AJ said to him "Are there others?"

"No AJ" he said almost insulted

"Don't you dare get annoyed with me I'm not the one who cheated you are" AJ said to him

"It was a kiss" Punk said to her "A stupid kiss"

"A kiss with someone who wasn't me" AJ pointed out "Please put yourself in my shoes" she said to him "Imagine it was me with Cliff. Tell me exactly what you would be feeling?"

"I don't know-" Punk said to her

"Don't do that" AJ warned "Tell me what you would do or say"

"I would be hurt" Punk said to her "Then I would hurt Cliff"

"And would you forgive me?" AJ asked him

"Honestly? Yes" Punk said as she just rolled her eyes

"If I kissed your friend you would be fine and dandy with it?" she mocked

"No I wouldn't be but I know I love you more than I could I be mad at you" Punk said to her

"Right" She smiled bitterly

"It was just a kiss" Punk said to her again

"A kiss is never just a kiss" AJ said to him

"Sometimes it is" Punk retorted

"I want to go to bed" she said to him "I need help up the stairs and since I don't have a shirt on I'm going to ask you to do it because I wouldn't dare ask one of your friends to assist me out of respect to you"

"I appreciate that" Punk said to her

"You're not staying in the room with me" AJ said as he helped her up

"Ok" Punk said to her "But what if you need something?"

"I'll figure it out" she remarked "Just leave me alone"

"I can't do that" Punk said to her

"Try" she shot at him as they walked the stairs

"AJ" he stopped her before she closed the bedroom door "Are we going to be ok?"

"I don't know" she said honestly and closed then locked the door. As soon as it closed she let the tears she was holding back fall out of her eyes and run down her face

* * *

The next morning Punk was on the couch when Cliff walked in.

"How did you sleep?" Cliff asked him

"I didn't sleep" Punk said to him sitting up "And now my back is killing me"

"That's what you get" Cliff said to him

"I get it" Punk muttered

"Has she come down yet?" Cliff asked

"No" Punk said to him "She needs to eat something"

"I hope she didn't sneak out in the middle of the night" Cliff said to him

"Why would you even think that?" Punk asked annoyed

"I'm just thinking about what I would do if I was in her shoes" Cliff defended

"You don't think she'd really do that do you?" Punk asked him giving it thought and Cliff just shrugged innocently. Punk jumped off the couch and headed up the stairs and opened the bedroom door. And the room was empty.

"When I told you to leave me alone I didn't mean barge into my room" AJ said annoyed walking in behind him

"Sorry" Punk said. Clearly she had just come from the bathroom. "Cliff told me he thought you snuck out"

"He's just messing with you" she said annoyed "I don't run from my problems unlike some people in this room"

"You look tired" he said to her noting her red puffy eyes "I hope you weren't up crying all night"

"And I hoped that you wouldn't almost sleep with one of our friends" AJ shot back coldly. Clearly after sleeping on it she was angrier. "You can go now"

"AJ I want to talk to you about this" Punk said to her

"Well I don't want to talk to you" she said to him "Looking at you just hurts me and unless you really want me to sneak out of here and run off I suggest you leave me alone"

"I love you" he said to her

"It means a lot coming from a proven liar" She said coldly then slammed the door in his face

"So how'd that go?" Colt asked innocently

"Bad" Punk admitted "She doesn't want to talk to me"

"Could be worse" Cliff said "She could have dumped you on the spot"

"I guess" Punk agreed "Help me fix this" he said to his two friends

"You've never tried to get back with the girls you cheated on before" Colt pointed out "I don't know what to do in this situation"

"I can't just leave it alone" Punk said to them "The longer she sits up there and thinks the more she's going to realize that she can't trust me and leave me"

"Should she trust you?" Cliff asked

"I'd like her to" Punk said to them

"I have an idea" Cliff said to him "I'll go upstairs and offer my body to her so she can get revenge and you two could be even"

"Any real suggestions?" Punk asked Colt completely ignoring Cliff

"I don't know man" He said with a laugh "You really stepped in it. She doesn't even like jewelry so you can't even buy your way back in her good graces"

"You guys told me to be honest and that didn't work so I need more help" Punk said to them

"Yea that was all I had" Colt admitted with a smirk

"I thought it would work" Cliff added

"I cant' stand this" Punk said turning around and heading back up the stairs

"Where are you going?" Colt asked but Punk just headed back up the stairs and to AJ's room.


	46. Talking To You

**Chapter 46: Talking To You**

* * *

"I'm still not ready to talk to you" AJ said opening the door slightly so he couldn't step in

"I can't stand this" Punk admitted "I can't stand that you're upset and not talking to me-"

"Well I can't stand the fact that you cheated on me" AJ shot back at him "I guess we can't have it all"

"It was a kiss" Punk reminded her "I didn't sleep with her!"

"That's really going to be your argument?" AJ asked stunned "Are you kidding me?"

"How can I fix this?" Punk asked her

"I don't think you even want to" AJ said to him honestly "The fact that you're looking for an easy way out- for me to tell you how to fix it just goes to show how little you really care and that's what hurts the most"

"I do care AJ" Punk said to her in a calmer voice

"You have a funny way in showing it" AJ said to him "You were mad at Cliff because he knew, you weren't even going to tell me"

"I never said I wasn't going to tell you" Punk said to her "Don't put words in my mouth"

"You were so mad at Cliff because you felt you were right" AJ argued

"No that's not why I was mad-" Punk started

"Take some responsibility here Phil!" AJ yelled "You did what you wanted to do and you could have stopped but you didn't. I don't believe in all of this in the moment crap. You're a smart guy and you did something stupid and you knew you were doing it. I'm just curious as to how far it would have gone had Cliff not walked in"

"It wouldn't have gone further than that" Punk told her sternly

"Are you sure?" AJ asked folding her arms "How can you be sure?"

"Because I wouldn't do that to you!" Punk yelled "You're my wife, I love you"

"Do you?" she asked

"Don't do that" Punk warned in a low voice "Do not doubt how much I love you. I've given everything up for you"

"So you resent me" AJ said to him simply as he started to grow frustrated

"I don't resent you!" Punk shouted

"You've given up your job, your home, your peace of my mind- all for me! I know what a sacrifice being with me has been and I feel horrible over it. The guilt ate away at me every night but if I had known you were cheating on me I wouldn't have cared so much!" AJ yelled

"It was a fucking kiss! You're acting like I carried on a year long affair and been with tons of women!" Punk defended "It was one woman, one kiss and one mistake!"

"You were wrong!" AJ yelled back "And until you can realize that stay the hell away from me" she said then slammed the door in his face

* * *

Punk walked back down the steps and saw Colt and Cliff scatter. They were clearly at the bottom of the stairs listening.

"Maybe you could buy her something" Colt suggested

"Yea" Cliff agreed

"I'm going out" Punk said just walking out of the house ignoring their comments

"Maybe we should talk to her" Cliff suggested

"I already tried" Colt said to him "But I'm not getting involved and either should you"

"But maybe AJ could listen to reason" Cliff said to him surprising Colt

"I thought you were team AJ" Colt said to him

"I am but I know she loves him and he really does feel bad" Cliff said to him

"Trust me you of all people should stay out of it" Colt warned

"I can't just sit around. We're going to be here for a while and the fact that they're not talking makes me uneasy" Cliff said to him

"Cliff don't" Colt warned but Cliff was already up the steps

Cliff knocked at AJ's door but she didn't even bother to respond.

"It's me AJ and I swear he's not with me" Cliff said softly outside the door. A few moments later he heard the door unlock and he stepped inside. "Oh AJ" he frowned pulling her into a hug. She had clearly been crying since Punk had left

"Why did he do this?" she asked against his shoulder

"He made a mistake" Cliff said to her as she pulled away

"I hate that word" AJ said wiping her eyes "A mistake is forgetting to lock the door not shoving your tongue down someone else's throat"

"He's not right AJ" Cliff told her "He hasn't been right for a long time"

"What do you mean by that?" AJ asked grabbing a tissue "Are you saying I broke him?"

"No, no" Cliff added quickly "This was all Christian. I mean haven't you noticed his short temper and odd behavior?"

"He's always been short tempered" AJ reminded him "Even before I worked there I used to see him screaming at people"

"It's different" Cliff said to him "Attacking people at airports, basically quitting his job- a job he fought to be where he was for years- he's just different"

"Now I'm feeling bad" AJ admitted

"You shouldn't" Cliff said to her quickly "I'm just asking you to be a little understanding. He loves you so much that it scares him. I was so pissed at him for doing what he did not jus because it was wrong because I knew he didn't mean it"

"I don't think I can get past it" AJ told him honestly "I want to but I just don't know how I can look at him the same"

"Try" Cliff pleaded lightly "The man is a mess and he's been a mess but he's been trying to be strong for so long that I think he's actually starting to break slowly"

"It hurts" AJ told him honestly "It hurts that he turned to her and not me"

"It wasn't even about that" Cliff said to her

"If he was struggling he should have spoken to me" AJ said to him

"He should have but he didn't want to bother you. You're barely out of the hospital" Cliff pointed out "He thinks he has to take on everything all by himself. He's always been that way but this stuff with Christian has been pretty bad"

"Why do I have to feel guilty?" AJ asked him "I'm not the one who cheated"

"I'm not here to make you feel guilty" Cliff said to her "I just want you to try to understand"

"I'm sorry" AJ said to him "I just can't at least not right now"

"Well are you at least going to come out of hiding?" Cliff asked "Colt is cooking and like I said Punk's not here"

"Ok" she said following him out of the room "Where did he go?"

"I have no idea" Cliff said to her "He just kind of stormed out"

* * *

Hours had passed and Punk still hadn't returned to the house and now AJ was growing more and more concerned.

"Can you try calling him again?" AJ asked Colt "He's been gone all day"

"I just did but maybe if you called from your number he'd answer" Colt said to her

"He wouldn't ignore your calls either" Cliff said to him "He knows AJ's recuperating he wouldn't just ignore the calls"

"Is this some kind of a ploy to get me to talk to him?" AJ asked them annoyed "Because it's not funny"

"I swear" Colt said to her

"Maybe we should go look for him" AJ said to them

"He took the rental so wherever he went we can't walk there" Cliff said to him

"You don't think he went home do you?" AJ asked them

"Maybe" Cliff shrugged "But his stuff is still here"

"You guys both told me he's been out of it what if he hurt himself" AJ said as the fear started to settle in

"He wouldn't do that" Colt said to her

"He also wouldn't have cheated on AJ in the right state of mind" Cliff added

"Ok seriously I'm starting to freak out" AJ said to them "I'm going to go look for him" she said standing up from the chair she was in

"I'll go" Cliff volunteered "You stay here and rest"

"I can't rest" AJ said to him

"Let Cliff go" Colt said to her "He's probably just blowing of steam don't sweat it"

"What if Christian got him?" AJ asked alarmed

"Um last I checked he was in jail" Cliff laughed as he walked towards the door

"Dan Jacobs is still out there and Christian still has people working for him" AJ argued "The last person he saw before going to jail was Phil- oh god" she said. The more she thought about it the more it made sense to her

"I'm going to find him" Cliff said to her then walked out the door

"He's fine AJ" Colt said to her with a smile "He's pissed off at himself and he probably won't come back until he's figured out a way to fix things with you'

"He wouldn't just ignore me though" AJ said looking at her phone as she sent him another text "Even when we weren't together if I were to pick up the phone and call him he'd drop everything for me"

"This is what I mean about him acting out" Colt said to her "He's been weird"

"Cliff was telling me the same thing" AJ said to him "I know he's going through this too and maybe I haven't been there for him like I should have been"

"AJ it doesn't excuse what he did" Colt said to her "You have every right to be upset"

"He's been great with me" AJ said to him "Aside from this- he's been patient and caring and has been my rock but who has been his?"

"He doesn't need a rock" Colt said to her with a laugh

"Everyone needs a rock" AJ argued lightly "Maybe I drove him crazy"

"I hate to break this news to you right now at a time like this, but he's always been crazy" Colt teased

"I made him this way" AJ told him "I ruined his life"

"No trust me you've made it better" Colt said to her

"How could you say that? Just before you and Cliff were telling me you barely recognize him" AJ pointed him

"If it weren't for you he'd be alone and miserable. And even though the stuff with Christian has been rough he still found happiness with you and if he had the choice to go back in time he wouldn't change a thing" Colt told her seriously "He wakes up in the morning because of you"

"Then why was he with Eve?" AJ asked him hoping he'd have a different answer than before

"Because he's an idiot" Colt said seriously "He made a stupid mistake one I know he regrets and one I'm sure he doesn't even understand why he did"

"Hey" Cliff said walking back into the house

"You found him?" AJ asked hopefully

"Not exactly" Cliff said with a nervous laugh "Sort of"

"Where is he Cliff?" AJ asked

"He didn't want me to tell you" Cliff said to her and she stood up and walked right over to him

"Tell me right now or I'm going to punch you in the face" she said and Cliff was actually frightened "I mean it Cliff!"

* * *

Punk was sitting in a small lockup cell calmly as he watched the cops walk around the station.

"Hey wrestler" one of the cops said walking over to him. Punk just smirked and stood up

"You're being bailed out" the cop told him "lucky you"

"Damn I was having so much fun with you" Punk replied sarcastically

"I'm sure with your stellar attitude and temper you'll be back soon" the cop remarked "but I wouldn't be looking forward to leaving either if I was you. Your wife seems pissed"

"My wife?" Punk asked surprised

"Yea. About five foot, long dark hair- has a smart mouth just like you" the cop smirked "Sound familiar?"

"Shit" he muttered "I'll stay"

"Oh no" the cop laughed "As soon as the paperwork is done you're out of here." The cop looked behind him and laughed "Here she is." Then he walked away

"AJ" Punk said with a frown "You shouldn't be here"

"What is wrong with you?" AJ asked him "Did you leave the house earlier looking to pick a fight with someone?"

"Not really" Punk admitted "I didn't even start the fight that guy did"

"You almost broke his nose" AJ said to him firmly "What is happening with you?"

"I was out, a guy approached me about a picture I told him to get lost he thought it would be fun to antagonize me" Punk told her "He actually threw the first punch I was just defending myself"

"I don't even know what to say" AJ said in a disappointed voice

"I told Cliff not to tell you" Punk said to her

"Yes lie to me more. That works out really well" AJ mocked "I want to help you"

"I don't need help AJ" Punk groaned annoyed "This is who I am. It's always been who I am. I lie, I cheat, I hit people for no reason- this is me"

"It's not you" AJ argued lightly narrowing her eyes at him "Where is the guy that held me when I got beat, where is the guy that laid with me when I broke up with Christian, where is the guy I married?" Punk didn't respond and AJ just frowned "I miss him" she told him honestly "If you bump into him tell him his wife would really like to work this out." Then she turned and walked away


	47. Fix You

**Chapter 47: Fix You**

* * *

"So when I called and asked you to bail me out and not to tell AJ you just ignored me completely?" Punk asked Cliff who was sitting in the living room

"Oh hey you're back" Cliff grinned. Colt was next to him on the couch.

"I asked you a question" Punk reminded him sternly "I told you not to upset her"

"She was worried sick about you" Cliff defended "And she threatened to punch me in the face if I didn't tell you. She's scary dude"

"Seriously" Colt agreed with him "Where is she? Can't you two just both stay in the same spot for longer than an hour?"

"She's sitting on the beach" Punk said to them

"So what are you doing? Go talk to her" Colt encouraged

"She wants to be alone" Punk shrugged

"Oh god this is going to go on forever" Cliff groaned

"Haven't you learned that space doesn't help?" Colt asked

"She's more pissed off than before" Punk told them

"What the hell even happened?" Colt asked him

"I got into a fight with a fan" Punk said to them simply

"He must have really nagged you for an autograph" Colt smirked "I heard the guy was really messed up"

"He threw the first punch!" Punk defended loudly "I was trying to be good but he kept pushing me and pushing me"

"You couldn't just walk away?" Colt asked annoyed

"He tried to hit me first and he made a comment about AJ" Punk told them

"AJ is a wrestler. Guys are going to say things about her" Colt reminded him "You never used to freak out like that with Beth or Amy"

"Beth and Amy weren't my wife" Punk spat

"I don't need you to fight for me" AJ said behind him

"Wow check it out Cliff, the resort bar just opened up" Colt said looking at his watch and standing up

"Can we go after they talk? I really want to see how this plays out" Cliff said seriously but Colt yanked him by his arm "Fine" he said annoyed "You both stay here. If one of you runs off one more time I'm implanting you with the one of those tracker devices" he told them seriously as Colt yanked him out the door

"Do you feel better?" AJ asked him

"No AJ I don't" he said bitterly "Being arrested and in lockup for hours didn't cheer me up at all"

"Good" AJ said to him "I was worried sick about you."

"I didn't think you cared" Punk said to her as she just rolled her eyes

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked him "I'm mad at you but I still love you"

"I don't know what you want from me AJ" Punk told her honestly "I fucked up I get it and I'm sorry and I left today to try to figure out how to fix it and I couldn't think of anything expect for saying I'm sorry which I truly am"

"I know Phil" she sighed shaking her head "I'm so mad at you still but it's not fair to let you take all of the blame for this"

"Don't do that" Punk warned "Do not try to put this on yourself"

"Well what am I supposed to do?" AJ asked him "I'm trying to figure out why and this is what I came up with"

"There is no reason as to why" Punk told her simply "I did it. I don't know why all I know is that I hate myself for doing it and it will not happen"

"How am I supposed to believe that?" AJ asked him

"Before this have I ever once lied to you?" Punk asked her

"That I know of no" AJ agreed "But you broke my trust you get that right?"

"Yes and I'm going to work on building it back up just tell me what will help you learn to trust me again?" Punk asked her "Do you want to look through my phone? Check my e-mails?"

"No Phil" AJ groaned "I don't want that kind of marriage I want to trust you"

"So just trust me!" he yelled

"I can't!" AJ yelled back "I think you need help"

"What?" Punk asked surprised

"Maybe you should see a therapist or something" AJ said to him nervously

"I don't need a therapist" Punk laughed

"I think you do" AJ said to him "Obviously you're still having issues dealing with aftermath of Christian and I don't blame you for it. And clearly you can't speak to me about it. Instead you're kissing other women and beating up fans. You need an outlet, you need to talk to someone"

"I don't need to talk about anything nothing happened to me" Punk said to her

"You found me" AJ reminded him

"So?" Punk asked

"I know it effected you" AJ said to him

"Of course it did but I'm pretty sure you got the worse of it. How come you don't have to talk to a therapist?" Punk asked

"Because I'm not acting out and I also already have someone I can talk to- you" she told him simply "I hate that I can't be that for you"

"It's not like that" Punk said to her "I don't want you to relive those moments again. I'd rather just bury it"

"Is that what happens when I talk to you about it? You relive it all over again?" she asked but he just remained quiet "I'm sorry I didn't even consider your feelings"

"Just stop!" Punk yelled placing his hands on his heads. He felt like his head was going to explode "It's not because of you! You've done nothing wrong! I'm the bad one here!"

"You're not bad!" AJ yelled back

"You almost died!" Punk shouted "If I never would have pushed you last year to get back into wrestling none of this would have happened! You were happy and healthy but I kept fucking pushing you and pushing you and pushing and look what it got you! An abduction, a stabbing, a beating- you told me to back off, you warned me bad things would happen but I didn't give a shit because I'm selfish! I wanted you and I didn't care what the repercussions were!" AJ was quiet while she listened to his frantic rant "I'm selfish AJ and all I have done is hurt you and hurt you and here you are taking the blame for me again. I can't have that"

"You saved me" AJ told him in furious voice hoping to get through to him "If you didn't help me get away from Christian I'd probably be dead right now or locked up in his basement. The moments of happiness I have experienced over the past year with you out weigh everything bad that has happened"

"How can you even say that?" Punk asked in awe

"I always felt alone. When I was growing up with my family, when I was with Jay- I never felt wanted" AJ admitted "You made me feel loved."

"And look what I did to you" Punk said to her disgusted with his own actions "I betrayed your trust and now you're going to leave me and I deserve it"

"Why would you say that?" AJ asked hurtfully "I never said that. Is that what you want?"

"God no AJ" Punk said shaking his head feeling himself getting worked up "But you deserve better and maybe now you realize that"

"Leaving you has never even crossed my mind" AJ told him honestly and it surprised him "You're my husband, my best friend- my family. I'm not going to just walk out on you." Punk was just in awe of his wife

"You're making a mistake" Punk said to her honestly "I self destruct a lot. This is just the tip of iceberg"

"You need me right now" AJ told him firmly "I'm not turning my back on you. We're in this together and just like you've picked me up time and time again I'm going to do the same. You're not on your own anymore either so get used to it. I took vows and I meant them" Punk just looked down at the floor ashamed "We're going to be ok" she said gripping his arm lightly so he would look at her "But you have to fight too. I can't do it alone." She wrapped her arms around his waist and after a moment he responded and held her tight against his own body "Are you going to fight?" she asked against his chest

"Yea" he said to her as he rested his chin on top of her head "I promise"

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up first, Punk was sleeping next to her and for the first time in a long time he was fast asleep. He was emotionally drained and probably exhausted. He needed this time to rest. There was no kissing or fooling around last night. They simply just held each other as they drifted off into sleep. She carefully got out of the bed but he was snoring so loud she didn't think anything could wake him up. She quietly left the room and tiptoed down the stairs.

"Well, well" Cliff grinned "Good morning or should I say afternoon?" he asked

"What time is it?" AJ asked him

"Almost 12:30" Cliff said to her

"I can't believe I slept for that long" AJ said to him surprised

"Yea and where's Punk?" Cliff asked

"Still sleeping" AJ told him

"So you two made up huh?" Cliff smirked

"It wasn't like that" AJ told him "But we're working on it"

"Glad to hear it" Cliff said happily "Do you think once you two are done being emotional messes we can do fun things? Like actually tour this island a little?"

"I'm still not supposed to really be on my feet for that long" AJ reminded him "But you, Punk and Colt should defiantly do something fun today. I think Punk needs it"

"And leave you here to sulk by yourself?" Cliff asked "No way. I mean you can sit on a beach right?"

"I guess" AJ shrugged

"You can watch us surf" Cliff said happily

"Oh fun that sounds. I get to sit on the beach and watch you three attempt to surf" AJ mocked

"Are you telling me you know how to surf? Cliff asked her

"Yup" AJ said proudly "For a klutz I'm not even that bad"

"You surprise me everyday Mrs. Brooks" Cliff said to her with a smile

"I'm a mystery" AJ agreed

"So seriously are you two ok?" Cliff asked

"No." AJ told him simply "But we will be"

"Awesome" Cliff said enthusiastically

"What is?" Punk asked entering the kitchen

"AJ agreed to run away with me" Cliff responded casually but Punk didn't even smirk "Too soon?"

"Too soon" AJ agreed

"So we're going surfing go get dressed" Cliff told him

"She's not surfing" Punk said to him seriously

"She's going to watch" Cliff said to him

"So we're all going to surf and she's just going to sit there?" Punk asked "No you and Colt go"

"It's fine" AJ told him "I might get a lot of enjoyment out of watching you all wipe out. And besides when was the last time you had fun. Just plain regular fun with your friends?"

"I'd rather just hang out with you" Punk told her as Cliff rolled his eyes "I saw that" he said glaring at Cliff

"I'll be right there" AJ told him "This way you can have fun and still watch me like a hawk"

"It's settled!" Cliff cheered "I'm going to get Colt" he said walking away

"Are you sure?" Punk asked her

"You need this and I need this" AJ told him "Let's just try to have fun for a change"

* * *

AJ was sitting on a beach blanket watching the guys surf and she was so glad she went. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed this much. All three were absolutely terrible and the best part was that each one thought they were great. Of course she wasn't even in a swimsuit. She couldn't risk getting sand in her wound so she was just in a pair of jean shorts and a loose pikachu tank top. While watching each one take a turn wiping out a dog ran up to her and she was thrilled. She loved all animals but dogs were her favorite.

"Hi there" AJ smiled sweetly as the large lab ran towards her and licked her face "You're eager" she laughed

"I am so sorry" a man said jogging over to her with a leash in his hands "He got right off the leash"

"It's ok" AJ said brushing it off "What's his name?"

"Dexter" the man said to her

"Ah named after a heroic serial killer. I like you even more" she said to the dog as she grabbed his face and kissed him

"He likes you" the man smiled

"I'm a dog person" AJ said to him simply

"Actually he just likes really pretty women" the man said and AJ finally looked up. The man had to be in his late thirties but was actually really attractive.

"Thanks" AJ said diverting her eyes and looking back at the dog as he placed the leash back on his collar

"So why's a pretty girl like you sitting on the beach all by herself?" the man asked

"She's not by herself" Punk said walking over to them. He left his surfboard by the shore line and grabbed the towel that AJ left out for him and ran it over his face

"Sorry" the man smiled

"Isn't his dog cute?" AJ asked Punk hoping he wouldn't snap like he was famous for doing in the past.

"Yea" Punk said petting the dog

"Sorry again about Dexter" he laughed pulling on the dog "You folks have a good day" he waved then walked away. AJ was impressed to say the least

"Wow" AJ said to him "That was impressive"

"What?" Punk asked

"You didn't yell or hit" AJ said to him

"Should I have?" Punk questioned

"You would have" AJ said to him

"You told me you were going to fight and I said I would too" Punk said to her "This is me trying"

"I can see that" she said trying to hold back a smile "Thank you"

"Don't thank me just stick with me" Punk said to her as he took a seat next to her on the towel

"I told you I would" AJ said to him "And to see you're trying means a lot"

"I'm working on rebuilding your trust" Punk told her seriously "I really am"

"I know" she said quietly "You looked good out there by the way"

"I always look good" he replied seriously then smirked "I sucked"

"No you just need practice. I wish I could be out there with you guys" she said to him

"Don't worry you'll get your chance to embarrass us soon" Punk said to her "You're going to have those stitched removed soon"

"How soon?" AJ asked

"I set you up with a doctor out here you're supposed to him in two days" Punk said to her

"I completely forgot about that" AJ said slapping her head "I was supposed to make the appointment"

"Well I did it for you" Punk said to her

"You always do" AJ said to him

"You sure you're ok?" Punk asked her "No pain?"

"Nope" AJ assured him "The sun and sand is doing wonders for me" she said lying against the towel

"It certainly is" He agreed looking over to her and she shot him glare "I can't even compliment you now?"

"Sure you can but you were trying to flirt" AJ scolded

"I was not" Punk laughed "Why would I flirt? You flirt to get a woman to go out with you we're already married"

"You want something more" AJ said arching a brow

"I don't AJ" Punk said seriously and was now worried he upset her "I know you can't and I'm sure you don't"

"You're right on both accounts" AJ said to him "I'm still not over the Eve thing" Punk just groaned "But you can kiss me because you haven't kissed me in a few days and I kind of miss it"

"Really?" Punk asked hopefully as if he was child

"One kiss" AJ warned "That's it"

"I'll take it" he said leaning in to her face but she jerked her head away

"Make it count because that's it for the day and you don't know when I'll be feeling this generous again. I just happen to think you look really sexy all covered in water and sand" she warned. He didn't respond he just leaned over and pressed his mouth to hers and it felt like ages. AJ was a little stiff at responding to the kiss at first but after a few seconds melted into it. He was her husband and she was going to make sure it stayed that way no matter what. The short kiss turned into a make-out session as they continued to mesh together for over ten minutes briefly pulling away at moments to catch their breaths. But their faces were always connected both felt at ease again with each other. After another fifteen minutes it was over when Colt and Cliff ventured back towards them.

"Ok guys it's enough now" Cliff said to them. When Punk pulled away he glared towards Punk

"Remember you're being good" AJ reminded him as she ran her hand over her lips and she could feel how swollen they had gotten.

"Right" Punk said to her "Thanks Cliff" he said with an enthusiastic smile

"Anytime bro" he said seriously but Punk just kept his smile on.

"Good boy" AJ said tapping his leg as if he was a dog

"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Colt asked "Are we going out to eat or what?"

"AJ and I are going out to eat" Punk informed them

"We are?" AJ asked looking over to him. This was news to her

"Yup. I'm working on making things better. So I'm going to take you out on a date" Punk told her

"Lame" Cliff snorted

"Not lame" AJ said to Cliff shooting him a glare "I think it's a really sweet idea actually"

"Thank you" Punk said proudly as smiled smugly towards Cliff

"You know you can get laid afterwards right?" Cliff asked

"Be good" AJ whispered into his ear

"I know Cliff but it's not about that" Punk said annoyed "AJ deserves to be wined and dinned and that's what I'm going to do."

"What should I wear?" AJ asked him

"Can I make a suggestion?" Cliff questioned

"No" Punk and Colt said at the same time

"It's just like old times" Cliff said happily

* * *

**A/N: thank you all for the reviews! I so appreciate every single one of them and I'm glad to see you all haven't given up on me yet. Punk and AJ took one step forward but how will date night go? Tune in tomorrow...**


	48. The List

**Chapter 48: The List**

* * *

Later that night Punk was waiting anxiously for AJ to get ready for their dinner.

"What are you so nervous about?" Colt laughed "It's not a first date"

"I'm trying to win back her trust, get in her good graces" Punk told him slowly "I don't want to mess this up. Not tonight"

"You'll be fine" Cliff said to him "Just don't be yourself"

"Don't?" Punk asked

"Yea" Cliff said to him as Punk rolled his eyes "Try to be sweet, hold her chair out for her, open doors-"

"I always do all of that" Punk defended

"Ok don't slap the waiter if he's eyeing your wife, don't jump all over fans, try not to lose your temper over stupid shit" Cliff added

"Yea I can do all of that" Punk said to him

"Seriously?" Colt asked

"I'm not some kind of animal" Punk spat

"Right" Cliff snorted as Colt just rolled his eyes at Punk

"You two aren't helping me feel better" Punk said annoyed

"Sorry I'm sure it will go fine" Colt said to him

"I'm not so sure" Cliff told him honestly

"You're just trying to piss me off" Punk said to him

"Why are you pissed off?" AJ asked stepping into the living room. Punk turned and saw she was in a tight mini black dress that wasn't overly dressy and she was sporting cute chucks to match.

"Wow" Punk said eyeing her. It had been weeks since AJ dressed up. She had literally been bedridden since the stabbing

"I look ok?" AJ asked nervously

"You look phenomenal" Cliff said answering for Punk

"Really" Colt agreed

"Thanks guys" AJ said to him "Are you ready?"

"Yea" Punk said to her "You two behave" he said to Cliff and Colt

"We're going back to the resort bar" Colt told them

"Great" Punk smirked "You both will be vomiting and inventing strange women into our place I was wondering when you guys would start that up"

"We actually started last night" Cliff told him "Well at least I did. Colt couldn't get laid even if he paid someone"

"I'm just not as desperate as you are" Colt said annoyed

"You're just jealous because the ladies love me, right AJ?" Cliff asked batting his eyelashes at her

"Be nice to Colt" AJ warned "And yes ladies do love you"

"Let's go" Punk said quickly as AJ grabbed her purse

"Have fun guys!" Colt waved

"Don't stay out too late!" Cliff shouted with a laugh as they walked out the door

"This place is so pretty" AJ said as they took a seat in a lovely restaurant not far from the resort. As a matter of fact they were able to walk and not drive which AJ enjoyed "How did you find it?"

"When I was out yesterday I spotted it" Punk said as they sat at the candle lit table "You really do look beautiful tonight"

"Thank you" she said blushing lightly "You look good too but you already know that"

"I do" Punk agreed

"I didn't want to upset you earlier but there's something you should know" AJ said to him.

"Well whatever you did you're forgiven" Punk said to her simply

"It's not something I did" AJ said to him quietly "So some of the dirtsheets are reporting that you had an affair" he was taken back by the news

"Really" Punk said slowly sipping on his glass of water

"I read it this morning but I didn't want to upset you or add to your plate" AJ admitted

"You don't have to be afraid to tell me things" Punk said to her "It's just another thing to add to the list"

"What list?" she questioned

"My apology list" Punk said to her

"There's a list?" she asked

"Literally" he said seriously reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper

"Can I see?" AJ asked reaching over the table and taking the folded piece of paper. "You don't need to apologize for all this" she told him "Everything on this list except for the kissing Eve thing is silly"

"You told me to work on things" Punk said to her "This is my way of doing it."

"When did you write this?" she asked him

"Earlier today" Punk told her "It helps to have it written"

"Phil" AJ sighed "My intention was never to have you beat yourself up. Or to change you into someone you're not. I just want you to be happy"

"I am" Punk told her

"No Phil you're not" AJ frowned "You're letting the guilt eat at you and eat at you and I'm afraid you're going to snap one day. It's effecting you and you don't even realize it"

"I didn't mean for it to" Punk told her honestly "I swear to you I never meant for this to happen"

"For what to happen?" AJ asked

"Everything" Punk admitted "The kidnapping, the stabbing- Eve"

"Stop blaming yourself for the kidnapping and stabbing it's not your fault" AJ said to him "It's my fault. I knew exactly what kind of man Christian was before I got in too deep and I still did it. I also knew what being with you would do to me. I made my choices and I have regrets but I've moved past them and it's time you do too"

"I'm sorry about Eve" Punk said to her in a low voice "So sorry. I confided in her about how upset I've been and she felt the same way for other reasons and she kissed me and I didn't pull away. I wish I could take it back, I wish I could erase it all but I can't. She means nothing to me I would never intentionally hurt you or Rener for that matter I love you so much that I sometimes I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest."

"The trust still needs to work" she told him honestly "But I forgive you"

"Just like that?" Punk asked her surprised

"You just said more to me in the last five minutes than you have the last two weeks" AJ told him "You opened up to me, you were honest- that's all I wanted"

"I'm going to be more open" Punk promised "You just have to understand I'm not used to having someone like you."

"You mean someone who loves you unconditionally?" she asked with a small smile

"Yea with all my faults and flaws" Punk confirmed "Now you have to deal with the bullshit of these reports"

"Well thankfully we're away right now" AJ said to him "Maybe by the time they get back it will die down"

"I'm wondering who said something" Punk said to her "The only people that knew were you Colt and Cliff"

"And Eve who probably told Rener" AJ pointed out

"They wouldn't do that" Punk said to her "Did they name Eve?"

"Yup" AJ confirmed "Of course it comes across a lot more scandalous online"

"Should I say something?" Punk asked "I'll handle this anyway you want"

"No you don't owe anyone any kind of explanation" AJ told him seriously "Well except for me of course" she smirked "This is a private matter one that I'd rather not share with everyone. I can't believe you haven't heard about it actually"

"I've stayed away from social media" Punk admitted "And I have no reason to be in touch with anyone except for my sisters"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore" AJ said trying to get the image of Punk and Eve out of her head "I just want to enjoy this night and be normal"

"Normal?" Punk questioned "We've never done that before"

"Let's give it a shot" AJ smirked

* * *

Later that night Punk got a call from Colt that he needed help getting Cliff back from the bar. He wanted to ignore it and just fall asleep next to AJ but she insisted he go and help his friend. He wasn't going to argue- the dinner went amazing and he didn't want to blow it. When he got back to the resort with Cliff he helped get him into bed and went into his shared room with AJ. She was already fast asleep when he got back.

He saw a note that she clearly left for him on his pillow and picked it up to read it. He immediately smiled. It was his 'apology list' except AJ put a line through every item on his list. The top that read **_'reasons to apologize'_ **was changed to **_'reasons I love you'_**.

_**1) Protective**_

_**2) Generous**_

_**3) Caring**_

_**4) Funny**_

_**5) Understanding**_

_**6) Beautiful**_

_**7) Selfless**_

_**8) Provider**_

_**9) Thoughtful**_

_**10) Your Smile**_

_**11) Your Heart**_

_**12) Your Humor**_

_**13) Your Eyes**_

_**14) Your Tattoos**_

_**15) Your Imperfections**_

_**16) The way you kiss me**_

_**17) The way you love me**_

Punk wasn't an emotional man by any means but this list genuinely choked him up. After everything that has gone down, the good and the bad she still supported and loved him and when she told him she was going to stick by him and help she truly meant it.

"Is Cliff ok?" she asked rolling over and saw him standing over his side of the bed

"Yea" Punk said still looking at the note

"Are you ok?" she asked opening her eyes to look up at him

"I was just reading your note" Punk said simply

"You like it?" she asked seriously

"Yea" he said softly folding the note back up and placing into the drawer of the nightstand. He then got into the bed and kissed the top her head

"Are you crying?" she asked surprised pulling away to examine his face

"I guess I am" Punk said forcing a smile

"I didn't mean to upset you-" she started

"No! God no" Punk said quickly "You just made me so happy"

"I'm glad" she said with a smile and kissed his lips gently and quickly.

"I love you" he said to her as she curled into him

"I know you do" she said softly

* * *

The next day Punk took AJ to her doctors' appointment and she was anxious to finally get her stitches out. She was a little uneasy meeting with a completely new doctor who she wasn't at all familiar with but Punk was right at her side.

"You're healing very nicely" The older male Doctor said looking over her chart "Your stitches are all out but you have to change that bandage everyday." AJ's face fell "I know it's annoying but you don't want it to get infected"

"It's just that blood makes me sick" AJ admitted with a faint smile "My husband has been changing my bandages for me I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to that"

"And I'm sure he'll continue to do so" The Doctor said

"Of course" Punk said to him "Anything else she should know?"

"Can you please tell him I don't have to be in bed constantly?" AJ asked the Doctor

"You're off of bed rest" The Doctor smiled "You can start exercising it's actually really good for your recovery"

"Yes" AJ said happily

"Just nothing crazy like surfing" He warned as she pouted "Also no rough sex" both their faces turned a bright shade of red "Take it easy with her" he laughed to Punk who just forced a smile

"No problem" Punk said biting his tongue a bit

"How's the pain?" The Doctor asked AJ

"I hardly feel any anymore" AJ told him honestly

"Good, very good" The Doctor said closing the chart "I'm still going prescribe you some pain meds-" she was about to open her mouth but he stopped her "-fill it, don't fill it- that's up to you Mrs. Brooks but at least hold on to it"

"Fine" she muttered then the Doctor left the office "What?" AJ asked looking over to him

"Why does he just assume we have rough sex?" Punk asked her annoyed and she just giggled "I mean where does he get off? Is it because I have tattoos?"

"Maybe it's because you have a smoking wife" AJ countered casually causing him to grim "But speaking of tattoos what am I going to do about the one on my neck? It's ruined"

"It's really not that bad" Punk said to her "But once we get back to Chicago and you see the plastic surgeon we'll figure it out"

"I'm seeing a plastic surgeon?" AJ questioned

"I had assumed you didn't want scars" Punk shrugged "I've looked into it already"

"You think of everything" AJ said to him "I actually never even gave it any thought. I don't want to wrestle with a huge scar on my stomach. It's all anyone will talk about"

"You can always wrestle in longer shirts" Punk suggested but she just tilted her head at him in annoyance "It was worth a shot" Punk muttered

"Now I'm feeling self conscience" She said to him seriously

"Why?" Punk laughed

"I don't want anyone to see my scars" AJ said to him seriously

"No one is going to see them" Punk said to her "Trust me"

"You'll see them" AJ said to him

"So? I'm your husband" Punk said to her

"All the more reason for you not to see them" AJ said to him seriously "No more changing my bandages" she told him seriously

"Oh really" Punk said seriously "Whose going to do it?"

"Me" she said to him "I have to grow up at some point"

"AJ the first time I changed your bandage you looked down and nearly fainted" Punk pointed out "You're not even going to clean it right"

"I'll be fine" AJ argued back "It's my body and my choice"

"Ok" he sighed giving in "But if you change your mind-"

"I won't" AJ said to him quickly "But thank you anyway"

* * *

Later that day everyone went into town to do a little shopping and having lunch together. AJ was relieved to be able to do normal things again. AJ was also pleased with Punk he was very attentive and affectionate with her the entire outing. He always had been but usually it was for her safety but this time it was just because he was happy to simply be with her. Everything she looked at he purchased for her even though she told him not to. He dropped a small fortune at a funky little jewelry shop that had all sorts of skull necklaces and diamond studs. But nothing compared to how much he dropped in a comic book shop. He had spoiled her the entire day and it wasn't something she really liked but today it felt good to have his full attention.

"Is this why you invited us?" Cliff asked walking into the house holding bags "So we could carry all of your crap"

"I'm injured" AJ replied innocently walking in behind him- carrying nothing

"Didn't the doctor say you were fine?" Colt pointed dropping the few bags he was holding by the door

"She can't lift heavy things" Punk said to him

"Well you shouldn't have bought her so much crap" Cliff said to him seriously

"Hey" AJ scolded

"Yea shut up" Punk shot back at his friend "And this stuff is a lot lighter than you are. Carrying you back from the bar last night wasn't exactly easy"

"Touché" Cliff said with a laugh

"Yea what did you drink the entire bar?" AJ asked him

"No but the ladies kept buying me drinks all night" Cliff defended

"Aren't you supposed to be the one buying the drinks?" AJ asked

"That's what he meant" Colt said to her "He would buy drinks for women and they'd refuse them because he looks like a pervert"

"Poor Cliffy" AJ teased

"He's lying" Cliff said to her as Punk just smirked

"Oh by the way I stopped by the resort gym earlier it looks awesome" She said to Punk

"And?" Punk asked

"I want to go" She said to him

"AJ you just got your stitches" Punk pointed out "Take it easy"

"I've been taking it easy forever!" AJ said to them "I want to work out."

"Give it a few days" Punk said "Just a few and then we'll go I promise"

"But-" AJ started

"AJ I don't want you opening up your wound" Punk said cutting her off

"He's right" Cliff said to her "You'll open up that big ugly cut again and you're entire formally perfect stomach will be messed up forever" he was only teasing her but she ran up the stairs "What? What did I say?" he asked Punk who looked like he wanted to kill him

"What is wrong with you?" Colt asked him

"She's feeling self-conscience about her stomach" Punk said to him annoyed "She's worried about a scar"

"I didn't mean it like that" Cliff said feeling bad "I'll apologize"

"No, no you've said and done enough" Punk said heading up the stairs

Punk saw the bedroom door was open and AJ wasn't inside. He walked down the hall and realized she was in the bathroom.

"AJ" he said knocking softly "Cliff is an idiot"

"I know" She sniffled through the door "I'm ok I'm just-"

"No lying" Punk reminded her "Let me in" the door clicked and he stepped inside the large bathroom

"I feel like an idiot" She admitted with a laugh and wiping her tears

"The only idiot is Cliff" Punk said to her seriously "He didn't mean it that way"

"I know" AJ said seriously "I'm not a vain person I just didn't even consider the fact that this could be apart of me forever and no one wants to watch an ugly Diva"

"You're not ugly" Punk said seriously

"How many girls go out there and wrestle with a huge scar?" she asked him

"You're going to get it fixed" Punk promised

"My neck is all messed up too" AJ said to him

"AJ who cares what you look like?" Punk asked with her sigh

"You do" AJ said to him and he laughed

"I certainly do not" he said in an amused voice

"Of course you do." AJ said to him "And you should because there has to be a physical attraction in our marriage-"

"You're blowing this way out of proportion" Punk said seriously "I am attracted to you AJ"

"But I'm not as pretty as Eve and I might never be with my scars" AJ told him honestly

"AJ don't even compare yourself to her" Punk said seriously "You're perfect and if tomorrow you shaved your head and gained 300lbs I'd still love you just the same. Scars or no scars"

"But-" AJ started again but was silenced when Punk tugged her against his body

"Trust me" he said in a low voice as his hand move to her backside and gave it a squeeze "I want you all of the time" he smirked kissing her cheek and then down her neck

"You say that now…" she muttered off

"Do you feel that?" Punk asked pressing his lower self into her "I'm barely touching you and I want you"

"Promise?" she asked looking deeply into his eyes and he responded by kissing her just as deeply

"My body doesn't lie" He smirked against her lips and gave her one last peek on the lips "Now it's time to change your bandage" He said pulling away from her

"I know I was just about to do it" AJ said to him

"Let me do it" Punk insisted

"No Phil-" AJ started

"Let's work on this trust thing right now" Punk requested "Trust me with this"

"Ok" she agreed quietly and he patted the countertop for her to take a seat on it which she did.

"Lift your shirt" he instructed as he grabbed ointment and a fresh bandage

"Is it bad?" she asked nervously, refusing to look at the wound

"No it looks a lot better and even better without the stitches" Punk told her as he cleaned the wound

"You're just saying that" AJ said to him

"AJ I'm not lying to you- ever again" He said seriously. A few minutes later he tossed the old bandage and placed a fresh one on it. He lightly kissed over it and then pulled down her shirt. "Good as new"

"Thank you" she said cupping his cheek and kissing him

"I'm here for you just like you have been for me" Punk promised her "Now and forever"


	49. My Girl

**Chapter 49: My Girl**

* * *

After a few more days AJ was getting back into the swing of things. She still wasn't used to be up and running around this much but she knew she had to fight through it. The second week they were there she walked down the steps on Monday morning and saw a bunch of packed bags.

"What's going on?" AJ asked the three men in the kitchen

"We're leaving" Cliff told her

"No!" AJ pouted "I'm finally able to enjoy vacation I don't want to leave"

"No not you" Colt smirked "Just Cliff and I"

"Where are you going?" AJ asked

"I have a few shows to work" Colt told her

"And so do I" Cliff chimed in "Even though this has been fun and I'd rather stay"

"So stay" AJ told them

"I told them to" Punk chimed in

"Seriously we need to get back to reality" Colt told her giving her a hug "We just wanted to make sure you were feeling better and you are so it's time for us to go"

"Maybe you two could enjoy some alone time" Cliff smirked as Punk just rolled his eyes "Treat this like a real honeymoon" he suggested

"Thanks Cliff" AJ said to him and gave him a hug

"I'll see you guys when you get back" Colt said to them "Which would be when?"

"I have no idea" Punk said to them "Until AJ wants to go home"

"What if I said never?" AJ asked him with a smile

"Than it's a good thing Colt and Cliff are going back home so they could send us our stuff" Punk shrugged simply "Have a safe flight" he said to his friends

"Let us take you to the airport at least" AJ offered

"No our cab is here" Colt said to her as the headed to the door "Have fun guys!" he said then he and Cliff left

"Why didn't they tell me they were leaving?" AJ asked him

"They didn't even tell me" Punk said to her "I just found out myself"

"Well now we're just stuck together" she said with a frown

"Sorry" he mocked

"I'm just kidding" she laughed "I know exactly what I want to do right now to celebrate us being alone for the first time in a month" she said walking over to him. And she wasn't lying. There had been kissing the last few weeks but that's it. At first it was for her health and he wanted her body to fully heal, now she was not only still self-conscience but he was sure she was still pissed about his kiss with Eve. He had gotten zero action- and he was ok with it but he'd be thrilled if she was finally ready to let him have her again or at least let him get to second base….

"I really can't wait to get my hands…" she trailed off as she ran her hands down his chest "…on a surfboard" she said in a seductive tone.

"Cute" Punk smirked

"You think I am?" AJ teased walking away "Come on! I want to have fun!"

"Surfing" Punk muttered as he watched her skip up the steps

* * *

After a short surfing session AJ and Punk headed to a local diner for lunch.

"I want to check your cut as soon as we get back" Punk said to her "Surfing was a bad idea" he said to her

"I barely even got a chance to surf!" She defended with a laugh

"You can't take hits like that from the waves" Punk said to her seriously

"I feel fine and I'm not bleeding" AJ assured him

"CM Punk" a few older men said walking over to their table. They obviously ran into a group of fans…older fans the ones Punk loathed the most. He eyed AJ before turning his attention to the men; he knew he had to be on his best behavior. "Hey is the way you pussed out and dropped your belt? So you can go on vacation? Don't you think you owe your fans a little"

"No I don't" Punk said to them calmly "Now take a hike"

"You're such an asshole" another guy said shaking his head at Punk

"You have no idea" Punk said in an almost threatening voice. AJ watched nervously hoping Punk wouldn't snap

"You know he's cheating on you right?" one man asked AJ and that's when Punk stood up quickly

"No, no" AJ said quickly standing in front of Punk "Just ignore them they're morons"

"Hey we're not the morons sweetheart. You're the one with the guy who's fucking around behind your back" one man said seriously

"I mean Eve is hot" another man smirked

"Punk don't" AJ warned seeing he was about to open his mouth

"Get the fuck out of here" Punk warned them

"Sorry we didn't mean to disrupt you're little vacation" the man mocked "We actually have to get back to work- see some of us actually have to work for a living"

"You're a real piece of shit" the other man spat at him "You're such a lowlife I don't get-" before he could finish he felt a hand connect with his cheek and to his surprise and everyone else's it wasn't Punk's hand it was AJ's small but powerful one. "Are you crazy bitch?" the man seethed. Punk quickly tucked AJ behind his back incase this turned into a brawl

"It's enough" the manager said walking over "You three hit the road" he said to the fans

"She hit me!" the man pointed out

"You want me to call the police and tell them you got beat up by a girl half your size?" the manager smirked

"Whatever you both are crazy" the man said to them "I hope you both stay gone" Once the three left the manager walked away

"You handled that well" AJ said to him as Punk turned to look at his wife after making sure the men were gone

"Yea but maybe we should work on your anger issues" Punk said seriously

"I was fine" AJ defended and Punk just narrowed his eyes at her "But they went too far. They had no right to talk to you that way"

"I could have handled it" Punk said to her

"Now you know how I feel" AJ said to him "I won't apologize for it. No one talks to my man that way" Punk just let out a small laugh "You really do attract the meanest fans"

"Yea I've noticed" Punk said throwing some money onto the table "Now you can see why I lose my cool so often"

"Let's go back to the resort and avoid people for days" AJ said to him

"That's my girl" Punk said proudly grabbing her hand

* * *

Once they were back at the resort she and Punk agreed to have a movie marathon. He was sitting on the couch as the movie began.

"AJ!" he yelled "The movie is on" she walked into the living room and stopped in front of him "What's up?" he asked looking up at her but she didn't respond instead she sat on his lap straddling him in the process

"Hi" she said simply wrapping her arms around his neck

"AJ-" Punk started but she leaned in and kissed him stopping his thoughts in their tracks. His hands moved to her side then down to her hips as she ever so slowly grinded against him "…babe" he said pulling away "You're hurt-"

"I feel fine" AJ promised "It's been weeks don't you miss me?" she asked innocently kissing down his neck

"You really can't feel how much I've missed you?" he asked her with a serious face looking down. And AJ could defiantly feel his want for her and it only turned her on more.

"So stop holding back" AJ pleaded lightly briefly kissing his lips "The doctor didn't say no sex…just not rough. You can be gently, I know you can"

"I just think it's too soon" Punk said to her

"Your body needs me" AJ said to him as she unwrapped one of her arms and grabbed his hand "And so does mine" She whispered into his ear as she guided his hand under the waistband of her sweatpants and guiding him to her now wet spot. Punk let out a groan as AJ removed her hand and he kept his there, feeling around in the area he loved so much and missed terribly.

"You have to promise me if it gets to be too much you'll stop me" Punk said to her as her grin widened into a triumphant smile

"Promise" she said quickly as she arched her body into his hand that was still exploring her

"I mean it AJ" he said starting to lose his own concentration

"I swear!" she shouted "Now shut up and take your pants off!" she demanded causing him to laugh

"Wow you are very bossy" Punk said seriously gazing into her eyes that were filled with lust "I think it's kind of hot" he pulled his hand out of her pants and examined his hand "I've missed this" he said placing his finger into his mouth and sucking on it "You taste way better than I remembered"

"Please" she said nestling her forehead against his "Take me to bed" she requested and Punk stood up with her easily still in his arms and carried her up the stairs…

Later that night AJ was still wrapped around Punk's body while he simply ran his fingers up and down her bare back.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Punk asked her

"If you ask me that one more time I'll slap you too" AJ said seriously

"Anything but that" Punk laughed lightly kissing the top of her head "Do me a favor try to not slap men who are with a large group of other men in the future"

"I knew you wouldn't let them touch me" she smiled against him as she rested her head on his chest "Even though I'm pretty sure I could have taken all of them"

"You're damn right on both counts" Punk said to her

"I just wish we weren't so much in the public eye sometimes" AJ admitted

"Sometimes?" Punk asked

"How much do you want to bet me slapping that guy is all over the web?" she asked him

"Who cares" Punk said to her "I'm proud of you"

"Of course you are" AJ laughed lightly "Oh I've missed this so much" she said snuggling into him further

"Me too" he said to her

"I've been giving it a lot of thought" she started "My contract is up in ten months"

"Yea" Punk said encouraging her to continue

"I don't know if I want to re-sign" She admitted

"What?" Punk asked stunned "Why?"

"After everything we've been through I don't waste anymore time. I've wrestled and I'll go back soon and continue to do it until I fulfill my obligation but I want…" she trailed off

"What do you want?" Punk asked softly

"I want to have a family with you" she said to him "I don't want to spend most of my life in airports or in strange hotels. Life is short I don't want regrets"

"I'll support anything you want to do" Punk told her honestly "If you didn't even want to go back after this I wouldn't blame you and Vince would support it"  
"No I want to go back and at least try" AJ said to him

"You love wrestling" Punk pointed out

"I do and that won't change but I want to have a family before it's too late" she said to him

"What are you afraid of?" Punk asked her "It's over"

"But it's not" AJ said to him "I'm always going to live in constant fear. The only way it will ever be over is when I'm dead"

"What are you talking about?" Punk asked alarmed

"I know Christian" AJ said to him "And I know you saw him and whatever he said to you set you off- you know it's true"

"It's not true" Punk argued "You're the safest you've ever been"

"Here yea" AJ agreed "That's because most people don't know where we are. Dan Jacobs is still out there"

"He's an idiot" Punk snorted "He was nothing more than a tool for Christian"

"Christian wouldn't have trusted him if he wasn't useful" AJ told him "He's a threat to me and he's still out there and who knows how many more people are out there still working for him. He won't stop until I'm gone"

"You're not going to stop your career out of fear of him because that's exactly what he wanted" Punk told her " I don't want you making any big decisions based on him. And keep in mind my contract isn't up until 2014 so if you want to start popping out kids I'm fine with it but I'd prefer to be around"

"I'm scared" she admitted sitting up and looking him in the eyes. This conversation was so out of left field. Five minutes ago she was happy and now she was holding back tears "Whenever we have great moments like this and it feels like everything is over my stomach twists and I suddenly remember that I don't want to die"

"AJ it's not happening" Punk told her "He has tried and tried and nothing has worked. He hasn't broken you"

"He's going to kill me" AJ said to him seriously

"AJ stop this!" he demanded "Why are you doing this? We just had this great night-"

"Because we have to be realistic!" AJ argued as he got out of the bed

"You just said you wanted a family" Punk said to her "And now you're signing your own death certificate!"

"I told you whenever I have a happy moment I have to come back down to earth and be real" AJ explained

"I can't talk about this AJ" Punk admitted with a frustrated laugh "I'm trying here AJ, I'm trying really hard here I'm doing everything you asked but I can't if-"

"Be real Phil!" She yelled jumping out of the bed herself "Look at me!" she shouted "I still have scars from the first beating! I'm not going to survive one more!"

"Stop it!" Punk screamed

"You know it's true! Let's just forget everything, forget work and enjoy life while we can before I'm gone!" AJ insisted

"You're not going anywhere!" Punk yelled back running his hands over his face then head, he was about to explode

"Phil you have to listen to me!" She yelled walking over to him and grabbing his arms but he pulled away from her

"Stop!" he screamed "I…I can't…" he said feeling himself getting too worked up "You told me you were ok… you told me you wouldn't leave why are you doing this to me? Are you trying to kill me?"

"No" AJ said sadly as she wrapped her arms around him "I'm just scared ok? I want to be with you and I don't want to wait on things. I just want you to understand why, what's so wrong about that?"

"Everything is wrong with that" Punk said in a low harsh voice "You're not leaving the company, I'm not leaving the company. You're not dying nothing is changing" he said then stormed out of the room

* * *

After being gone for over an hour AJ threw on the button down shirt he wore to dinner the previous night and ventured down the steps and frowned when she didn't find Punk. He was doing so well, why did she open her big mouth? She thought to herself. She saw the backdoor was open that led directly to the beach and stepped outside. It was dark out but she saw someone sitting close to the shoreline on the beach and walked towards it. She knew it was him, she'd always find him.

"I thought you ran off on me" AJ said standing over him but he didn't look up "I'm sorry I upset you"

"I'm not upset because you said something I'm just upset that you think you're going to die" Punk admitted "The fact that you want to quit a job you literally almost died over out of fear of another man bothers me"

"I shouldn't have said anything" AJ said to him

"No you have a right to say how you feel" Punk said seriously "I shouldn't have blown up like that because we're working on this 'trust' thing" AJ bent down and rested her knees onto the sand "Do you want to quit? If Christian wasn't an issue would you still want to have a family so quickly?"

"I'd probably want to stay" AJ said to him

"I'll support you with anything you want" Punk told her "But I'd hate to see you leave without accomplishing everything you ever wanted. Just think about it ok?"

"Ok" she agreed

"Come here" he said tugging her so she was sitting on his lap and resting her head against his chest "It's really going to be ok. I've learned from my mistakes nothing and no one is touching you again"

"I trust you" she said simply. Something so simple actually meant a lot to Punk and he kissed her cheek in return "It's beautiful out here" she said with a sigh as she watched the waves come in

"You're beautiful" Punk responded threading his fingers through hers

"I kind of want to stay here forever" AJ admitted "It's so peaceful here"

"Minus the arrest last week and you beating up some poor fan at the diner tonight it has been peaceful" Punk said to her "At least peaceful in our world"

"You know what would make this night even better?" AJ asked him

"Hmm?" He asked concentrating on the waves

"Make love to me right now" she whispered

"On the beach? Where anyone could just walk up?" Punk chuckled

"No one is here" She said to him

"You'll be covered in sand in areas you aren't going to like" Punk warned

"I already am" AJ said simply "I'm not wearing anything under this shirt…and I mean _anything_" he just smiled to himself…she was truly the best.


	50. Colby

**A/N: Wow chapter 50 already! I seriously want to thank every single one of you who has reviewed on her and on Twitter. It truly means the world to me and motivates me to write. This story has been so much fun to write and I have alot more planned for it! Also in response to a reviewer- never thought about writing RVD but what an awesome idea, I'm going to have to have him cameo at some point soon. Enjoy chapter 50 everyone!**

* * *

**Chapter 50: Colby**

* * *

It had been twelve weeks since Punk and AJ had been work. Twelve weeks filled with laughter, love, tears and rebuilding their relationship. They spent most of the time on the beach in Hawaii but truth be told both were ready to go back home and even Punk was anxious to work again. Their big 'top secret' return was scheduled for the night after Wrestlemania. This Raw was always considered to be the biggest show of the year and a fresh start.

"Are you nervous?" Punk asked her

"A little" She said tugging down her shirt as she looked in the mirror

"Still self-conscience about that scar?" Punk questioned noticing she was keeping her shirt long

"A little but now that it's healed I feel it makes me look tough" AJ said to him "And it's actually not that terrible"

"You don't need a scar to make you look tough" Punk smirked

"I've never opened a show before" AJ said to him

"You're going to be great" Punk said to her

"It's been so long though" AJ admitted "Paul is coming out with us right?"

"Not tonight" Punk told her "He's working with Lesnar tonight"

"So it's just us?" she asked nervously

"Us against the world" Punk grinned "If the guys back here keep their mouths shut our return tonight has the potential to be the biggest surprise of the last decade"

"That's a lot of pressure" AJ said to him

"It's going to be great" Punk assured her "But are you sure you're ready? You don't have to come back no one will judge you or hold it against you"

"It's now or never" She told him putting on a brave face

"I'm really proud of you" Punk grinned kissing her forehead

After opening the show they played off a heel role or at least tried to. The crowd was thrilled to have them back and their cheers were so loud you could barely hear what they were saying. AJ was very nervous as she walked down the ramp but once she entered the ring she morphed back into her role. Once the stepped backstage most people walked up to them and welcomed them back. There were a few new faces backstage as well now. The Shield had arrived a few pay-per-views back and were already over. Punk had met each one a while back when he'd go down to NXT and thought highly of the three men, at least he did…

"April Jeanette!" A voice shouted stopping her and Punk in their tracks. When she looked back she had a huge smile on her face

"Colby!" she said running towards him and hugging him. Punk watched as she embraced the two-toned haired man.

"You know I hate my birth name" Seth Rollin grinned as she pulled away

"I like it" AJ said to him happily "I see you've been kicking all kinds of ass. I'm so proud of you"

"I can say the same for you" Seth said to her

"Phil" AJ said waving over her husband "Do you know Colby- sorry I mean Seth" she said as Seth glared at her

"We had a match not too long ago" Punk said as he shook the man's hand "Good stuff you're doing here"

"Thanks that means a lot coming from you" Seth said to him sincerely "I'm glad you're back" he said looking back towards AJ "I heard about everything and I wanted to call you and check in but I didn't know what to say" he admitted

"It's fine" she assured him "I know you've been busy"

"It's not an excuse" Seth said to her seriously "I'm sorry I bailed on you"

"You didn't bail" AJ insisted "How have you been?"

"I can't complain" Seth said to her "But maybe we could get together and catch up, you too Punk" he offered as Punk just grinned

"That sounds nice. We'll talk about it tomorrow" AJ said to him

"Cool" he smiled then kissed her cheek "I'll catch you before you leave, see you around Punk" He said then walked away. Punk just watched as Seth headed down the hall

"What?" AJ asked with a sigh. She knew the face Punk had on; she could read him like a book.

"Nothing" He said shrugging "I didn't realize that you two knew each other"

"Actually he trained with Jay as well" AJ informed him "Not for long though just a few months then he went off to a fancy wrestling school" she confided "We actually were roommates for a while"

"Oh really" Punk said slowly

"It really wasn't like that" AJ smirked "He had a place and I didn't so he used to let me crash on his couch when I couldn't pay for a motel"

"How generous" Punk noted

"Stop" AJ warned him

"I didn't say a thing" Punk defended cutely

"You don't have to. Your eyes give you away" AJ informed him "They always do"

"Really?" Punk asked amused "And what are my eyes telling you?"

"They're saying 'if Seth Rollins kisses my wife's cheek one more time I'm going rip his lips off of his beautiful face'" she smirked

"Most of that is right" Punk agreed "You think his face is beautiful?"

"I'm teasing" she laughed grabbing his hand and leading him down the hall "You're going to love him"

"Doubt it" Punk said to him "I barely liked him when I first met him and all of the sudden I dislike him more. I don't really hang around with anyone from here except for Kofi and Paul"

"Well he's my friend so you'll be seeing him around" AJ said to him "I mean if you don't want to join us when we have dinner and catch up that's your choice"

"I trust you" Punk told her simply

"So you won't be joining us?" AJ asked almost surprised

"Oh no I'll be joining you" Punk added quickly "I just won't be happy about it"

"I want to go catch up with Celeste" AJ said as she stopped by the Diva's locker room "I'll see you in a little bit"

"Ok" Punk said and watched as she entered the locker room

"Hey there" Paul said walking over to him and pulling him into a hug "Welcome home champ"

"Thanks" Punk said gruffly pulling away

"You looked and sounded great out there" Paul said to him

"Yea I thought it went well" Punk said to him "So what have I missed?"

"Not much" Paul said as they entered Punk's private locker room "I hate to ask this-"

"I didn't have an affair" Punk told him knowing where this was going

"Thank god" Paul said with a sigh "I knew it was all bullshit but when you wouldn't return my messages I was a little concerned"

"I did kiss her" Punk said to him

"Eve?" Paul asked surprised

"Yea. We kissed it got a little hot and heavy but it was nothing more than kissing" Punk told him honestly

"Oh" Paul said simply then slapped him hard across the face completely surprising Punk

"What the fuck Paul?" Punk asked holding his cheek

"Are you stupid?" Paul demanded "I know you and I know you live and breathe for AJ so what the hell were you thinking!"

"I feel like shit about it" Punk said rubbing his face "AJ knows all about it and we've moved past it"

"Well it's going to take me a little longer" Paul said to him honestly

"It's not like I cheated on you" Punk laughed

"You cheated on our girl" Paul frowned "I love AJ the same way I love you."

"I know, I know" Punk sighed "It was stupid and believe me if I could take it back I would but AJ and spent everyday together since then and we've talked about it and moved past it"

"Well I hope so because Eve is going to be at SmackDown tomorrow" Paul informed him "She's returning for some sort of crappy diva's segment and I'm pretty sure Rener is going to be there as well"

"Shit" Punk muttered "I don't know how AJ is going to handle it. Eve left AJ a few messages but she refused to return any of them"

"Awkward" Paul said to him

"Just try to keep them away from each other tomorrow night" Punk said to him

"Why should I do that?" Paul asked "We should let them work it out"

"I don't think that will work" Punk said to him seriously "I really think she's going to attack Eve"

"I read about her slapping a guy in a Hawaii" Paul laughed "I don't usually believe dirtsheets but I chose to believe that story"

"It was true" Punk said to him and Paul smiled proudly

"Good for her" Paul said to him "But according to the story they tried to hitting on her and you sat there scared"

"What?" Punk asked annoyed "Someone actually printed that?"

"People love to twist stories" Paul shrugged

"One of the guys insulted me and she defended me" Punk told him

"She's a good woman you've got" Paul said to him

"I know" Punk agreed

"I'd hate to see you blow it" Paul added

* * *

Later that night Punk and AJ were on the bus eating at the small table but she was really into her phone, laughing and smiling at messages. He didn't want to pry because of the whole 'trust' thing but it was nagging at him.

"I hate to ask" Punk started causing her to look up at him

"It's Seth" She said flashing her phone to him

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Punk asked seriously and she just grinned

"He's a friend. We were good friends when we worked with Jay and then reconnected in FCW but after I got called up we lost touch. We're just catching up."

"I didn't realize you two were friendly in FCW as well" Punk said to her casually taking a bite out of his salad

"He's a really good guy" AJ assured him "He always had my back backstage"

"Good" Punk said to her clearly still bothered

"It's just like how you're friends with Natalie and Haley" AJ defended

"Ok" Punk said to her "You can be friends with whoever you want it's just kind of out of blue that's all"

"Would you feel better if I made a list of men I have ever been friends with?" AJ teased

"No…I mean you don't have to" Punk said to her casually as she let out a giggle

"I love it when you're jealous" AJ admitted

"I'm not jealous of a guy who looks like the male version of Celeste" Punk defended

"Good because it's ridiculous" AJ told him

"So you two never…" he trailed off

"Never what?" AJ asked him as she looked back to her phone

"Slept together?" Punk asked. That's when AJ placed her phone on the table and looked at him

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" AJ asked him

"I think I just got my answer" Punk said to her

"It meant nothing" AJ told him and he just nodded remaining quiet as he ate his food

"Were you going to tell me?" Punk finally asked

"I didn't think I had to" AJ shrugged "I mean how many different women have you slept with at work?"

"None that I text constantly or still hang out with" Punk shot back

"I'm sorry but were you not in a relationship with Natalie?" AJ asked mockingly

"When I was a kid" Punk said to her "And I didn't keep it secret"

"Well it's not like I lied about it either" AJ pointed out "I didn't think it was a big deal"

"Did you sleep with him when you were training with him or at FCW?" Punk asked

"Does it really matter?" AJ asked annoyed rolling her eyes

"To me it does" Punk said firmly

"Why?" she asked

"Because I want to know that's why" He said simply "I think I have a right to know"

"Than I want a list of every woman you have ever slept with your entire life" AJ said to him folding her arms

"Don't be ridiculous" Punk said to her

"Is that your way of saying you can't remember how many women you've been with?" AJ asked him "I can count on one hand how many men I've been with could you say the same?"

"It doesn't matter how many" Punk laughed in a frustrated tone "I don't still hang around those women"

"You keep in touch with Amy, Natalie-" AJ counted off

"I don't see Amy" Punk reminded her "And Natalie is my family. Her husband is one of my good friends. I don't socialize with single women I've had a past with"

"I'm not socializing alone" AJ laughed "I invited you!"

"You know what AJ you're right" Punk said standing up "Don't tell me its your life why should I want to know anything about it" he smirked then walked inside the bedroom

AJ headed into the bedroom a couple of minutes after Punk and found him on the bed reading a comic.

"You don't think you're acting a little hypocritical?" AJ questioned with a sly smile leaning against the doorframe

"Yes I do actually" Punk told her placing the comic on his chest so he could look at her "I kissed another woman and here I am hounding you over a guy you were with before me"

"So what's your problem?" She asked with a laugh. She knew that even he knew this was ridiculous

"I just want to know" Punk said to her seriously "I know it doesn't matter and it's not my business and I don't know why I even want to know I just know that I want to know"

"Wow that's a lot of 'knows'" AJ teased walking over to the bed and sitting at the edge "The night I broke up with Jay I stayed with Seth and that was the first time we slept together. It was right before I met Christian"

"Ok what about FCW?" Punk asked

"A couple of times" AJ said to him and Punk seemed more hurt by that "I was lonely and I missed you" she said with a shrug "I was reading all the rumors about your dating life and we fell into a bed three times the most. It never progressed past the bedroom. Feel better?" she questioned

"No but thank you for telling me" Punk said to her honestly "But while we're on this topic you should know that Eve is going to be at SmackDown tomorrow"

"Oh" she said quietly "So I should be the jealous one"

"No you shouldn't" Punk said to her "I just didn't want you to be blindsided that's all"

"I'll be fine" AJ said to him "I'm really mad at her"

"AJ it was a mistake" Punk said to her "I'm sure she feels just as bad as I do"

"But you don't know for sure?" AJ questioned

"No because I haven't spoken to her since then" Punk told her and she smiled wide

"Good answer" she said crawling over to him and placing one leg on each side of his thighs so she was straddling him "As possessive and crazy as you are over me I'm the same with you, difference is I'm not afraid to admit it"

"I admit it" Punk snorted "I'm just working on controlling it, how am I doing?"

"It depends are you going to be nice to Seth?" AJ asked him

"No" Punk told her honestly "But that's only because I'm not really nice to anyone but I won't be outwardly hostile if that helps you at all"

"I'll take it" she said leaning down and kissing his lips "You have really been so good these last few months and it means a lot to me. It shows how much you love me"

"I could really show you how much I love you right now if you a move up a little" Punk suggested seriously

"No" she said simply slinking down further "You deserve a treat"

"A treat?" he asked and felt her tug down his short and boxers on her way down "I mean yea, I've been trying really hard" he agreed watching her carefully

"Very hard" She agreed "And you've been so good and selfless with me" she told him as she liked the tip of him causing him to hiss slightly

"As much as I'd love this" Punk said causing her to stop and look up at him "You don't have to reward me like I'm a dog."

"What kind sick person rewards their dogs by doing this?" she asked disgusted and he let out a loud laugh

"You know what I mean" Punk said still smiling

"Well it's not just about that" she said then dipped her mouth back onto him and took him in deeply and then slowly eased back up while he groaned "I want you to know that you can't have better than me. Tomorrow if you happen to see Eve you're going to remember this moment with me and know she can't give you what I can" before he could respond she took him back into her mouth rendering him speechless.


	51. Calling Out His Name

**Chapter 51: Calling Out His Name**

* * *

Punk was actually worried about SmackDown tonight. Him and AJ were doing so well and finally moved past his indiscretion with Eve and now she was going to be here. He also wasn't sure if Rener even knew what had gone on. He considered Rener to be a good friend and now he was sure that was ruined as well as his friendship with Eve.

"You're more nervous than I am" AJ teased as she grabbed her bad and walked down the steps of the bus

"I'm not nervous" Punk said to her "I just don't know how Rener is going react"

"How would you react if I kissed Rener?" AJ asked him

"That's why I'm worried" Punk admitted scratching the back of his head nervously

"I won't let him hurt you" AJ teased

"I'm not afraid of him hurting him I just feel guilty" Punk admitted

"As you should" AJ said to him

"Gee thanks" Punk remarked sarcastically but felt better when AJ took his hand into her own

"We're in this together" AJ assured him walking with him proudly

"No I believe I'm the one who messed up" Punk corrected her "This is on me and I'll deal with it"

"Well we're married so your mistakes are mine" AJ told him "I've got your back"

"That means a lot to me" Punk told her sincerely. A few months ago he wasn't sure she'd forgive him and now here she was supporting him and ready to jump to his defense.

"Oh don't forget we're eating with Seth tonight after the show" AJ reminded him

"This is my punishment" Punk muttered to himself

"What?" AJ asked him

"I kissed another woman and now the universe is punishing me by having to face my friend whose fiancée I kissed and having dinner with my wife's ex" Punk told her "I'm never screwing up again"

"He's not my ex" AJ corrected

"Sorry fuck buddy" Punk said seriously "My bad"

"I thought we spoke about this last night" AJ said to him as they entered the arena

"We did" Punk said to her "It didn't make me feel better"

"I thought I made you feel better" AJ whispered into his ear. Now he was flashing to their night in bed

"Oh you did" Punk said with a wide grin "But I suggest you stop talking about it right now because the more I think about it the more I want to return the favor"

"I wouldn't complain" AJ said to him as they reached his locker room door

"Right here and now" Punk said seriously "And we have a terrible habit of getting walked in on here"

"We get walked in on in our home" AJ said annoyed and he just nodded

"It's true" Punk agreed. And right at that moment there was a knock at the door.

"See" AJ pointed out with a laugh

"At least they knocked" Punk smirked opening the door then lost his smile when he saw his friend Rener. "Rener" he said nervously

"You have a minute Phil?" Rener asked him

"Yea come in" Punk said stepping aside to let him in. AJ's face fell as well

"Hey AJ" Rener said with a forced smile and gave her a hug "I'm glad so see you're ok"

"Thanks" AJ said pulling away "How are you?"

"I've been better" he said turning to look towards Punk who closed the door "A lot better as a matter of fact"

"Eve told you" Punk stated and Rener nodded

"It was a mistake" AJ said quickly "Don't be mad at him he wasn't in his right mind-"

"AJ don't" Punk said softly "Can you give us a minute?"

"Are you sure?" AJ asked

"Yea" Punk said with giving her his signature grin "It won't take long"

"Ok I'll be in catering" she said walking to the door then left

"You're a lucky man" Rener said to him "Your wife is very forgiving. Not only did she seemingly forgive you but she's defending you now"

"She's a good woman" Punk told him "You want to hit me?"

"I wanted to" Rener said to him "But I'm not going to. I'm better than that"

"I'm sorry" Punk said to him simply "I shouldn't have kissed Eve and I never meant to disrespect you or betray your trust"

"Eve took full blame for it" Rener said to him "As soon as she left your place she flew back home and told me everything."

"And clearly you two are ok" Punk said to him and Rener nodded

"You can't help who you love" Rener told him with a shrug "I'm assuming your wife feels the same way I do"

"Probably" Punk agreed

"I know you've been through a lot and I took all of that into account" Rener started then frowned "I just can't forgive you for this but I'm trying"

"I understand" Punk said to him "I wouldn't forgive me"

"I'm not you" Rener reminded him "Whether I can forgive you is one thing but I can never trust you with my fiancée again. I hope you understand that"

"I do but you have nothing to worry about. I got my head back on straight" Punk said to him "It won't happen again"

"I hope not" Rener said to him coldly "I don't want you around her. I don't want you two talking, it's done" Punk didn't respond because quit frankly he didn't like being told what to do but he also didn't blame Rener "I hope you and AJ have a happy life together and I hope you never have to feel the way I do right now" he said walking towards the door

"I wish I could take it back" Punk said to him

"So do I" Rener said then walked out the door

* * *

AJ headed into catering and saw Eve sitting with Nikki and Brie. She saw Eve look over to her and offer her a soft smile but she refused to return it, she just headed over to the food and grabbed a plate.

"So I guess the rumors are true" Seth said walking over to her

"What rumors?" she asked

"The ones about Punk and Eve" Seth said to her

"Not entirely" AJ said softly placing some salad on her plate "I really don't want to discuss it"

"You must really love him to forgive him" Seth pointed out with smirk

"I do love him" AJ said responded "More than anything in this world. But again the internet doesn't know the whole story"

"I'm not trying to pry and I certainly am not judging you" Seth assured her as they took a seat at a table "I just want to make sure you're ok"

"This is the best I've been in a long time" AJ told him honestly

"I guess that's good" Seth smiled

"I told Phil about us" AJ warned

"Great" he said with a laugh "Is he going to beat me up now?"

"No" AJ said to him with a sly smile "As long as you don't openly flirt with me"

"I'm a natural flirt" Seth defended

"Yes I know that but he doesn't" AJ said to him

"Well if he feels uneasy about us I can always give him details about the last time we were together" Seth smirked

"Oh god you still remember that?" AJ asked feeling embarrassed

"Not many men could forget that" Seth said to her seriously

_Seth and AJ found themselves back in bed together for a third time since she was in FCW. He considered AJ to be one of his good friends and when she arrived at FCW she was understandably a mess. Living in fear and downright lonely. She missed Punk and openly discussed with Seth numerous times. Seth on the other hand was uneasy about AJ staying herself even if she was in Paul Heyman's house so he offered a couple times to stay with her and each time they ended up sleeping together._

_"Oh jesus" Seth moaned into her neck then nipped on it gently. He was on top of her thrusting in and out in a very familiar rhythm to the both of them. His sweat was dripping down onto her and she was clawing at his back while the rest of her body cradled his against her_

_"That's it" she moaned as she attempted to her arch her body against him "Harder" she pleaded and he obliged and went in as hard as he could causing her to scream in a mixture of pleasure and pain "Oh! That's so good Phil". Seth caught the slip but didn't stop until both were completely satisfied. Once Seth and AJ regained their senses he carefully pulled out of her and rolled onto the bed next to her_

_"You ok?" Seth asked_

_"Yes" she said softly. Even though she wasn't with Punk she felt guilty being with another man._

_"You called me Phil" Seth informed her looking towards her_

_"I am so sorry!" AJ said feeling ashamed "I didn't even realize I did that"_

_"It's ok" he laughed seeing how frantic she was "Look I get it. I'm not your guy and I know that. I'm not mad at you I just feel bad like I've taken advantage of you"_

_"No you haven't" AJ assured him "I needed this and I wouldn't have done this if I didn't want to"_

_"Why don't you just call him?" Seth asked her "You miss him, he misses you I'm sure- just pick up the phone and tell him that"_

_"I can't" she said to him quietly_

_"Why?" he asked her quietly_

_"For the same reason we can't do this again" AJ said sitting up and climbing out of the bed "It's not safe" she informed him. He heard the rumors about Christian but now this was his confirmation "I'm going to shower and by the time I get back it would be best if you were gone"_

_"I'm not afraid of your ex-boyfriend" Seth scoffed_

_"You should be" AJ told him with fear in her eyes "Thank you for tonight and all the other nights but I can't do this to you. I'll see you at training tomorrow" she then walked out of the room leaving a very confused Seth behind._

"I've never been thrown out of a woman's bed let alone her house before" Seth laughed at the memory

"You understand now why though?" AJ asked him seriously

"I get it AJ" Seth assured her placing his hand over hers

"Hello" a voice said and both AJ and Seth looked up and saw Punk staring down at them. Mostly his eyes were locked on their hands. Seth quickly pulled his hand away

"Hey how did everything go?" AJ asked

"Better than I expected" Punk said to her

"I should be going. I'll see you guys later" Seth said standing up and walking away. Punk wanted nothing more then to follow Seth out but AJ tugged on his hand urging him to take a seat

"So how did it go?" AJ asked again as he reluctantly took a seat

"What was that all about?" Punk asked

"I asked you a question" she said trying to get his mind off of Seth

"It was fine like I said" Punk said to her "He hates me and doesn't want me hanging around him or Eve anymore"

"I'm sorry about that I know you really liked Rener" AJ frowned

"Yea I'll get over it" Punk said to her still distracted by the fact that Seth had his hand on AJ's when he walked over "And I'll ask you again what was that about?"

"We were reminiscing" AJ shrugged

"Oh really?" Punk asked her

"Not about that" AJ said to him knowing what he was thinking "He's my friend and trust me he no only knows how much I love you but he respects it. Besides he's not into me like that"

"I find that hard to believe" Punk said to her as she rolled her eyes "I'm serious I mean you're the total package who wouldn't want that especially if he already had it"

"He never had me" AJ told him firmly "I've always been yours and believe me he knows that too"

"Right" Punk scoffed "So I see Eve over there-"

"I didn't speak to her" AJ said to him "And I don't plan on it"

"Maybe you should" Punk offered

"No way Phil" AJ said to him seriously "I'm trying to remain positive and happy and talking to Eve won't help with any of that"

"Ok" Punk said not pushing it "It's just I know what it's like to lose a friend" he offered casually knowing it would get to her "Sucks"

"She should have kept her tongue in her own mouth then" AJ replied

"It wasn't just her" Punk reminded her "You forgave me"

"Because you're my husband" AJ reminded him

"Remember who had your back when you first left Christian, whose home you went to" Punk reminded her "She cares about you"

"She also knew how important you were to me" AJ said to him "She was the one I cried to about you, she gave me advice! She knew better than anyone how much I love you"

"Ok, ok" Punk said letting it go

* * *

Later that night AJ saw Eve exiting the Diva's locker room and instead of turning around she walked straight towards her.

"AJ" Eve said with a mixture of happiness and surprise. But Eve was at a lost for words once she felt AJ's small but strong hand slap her across the face "I deserved that" AJ said placing her hand on her cheek. Thankfully no one was around

"You hurt me" AJ told her bluntly "I trusted you. I sent Phil in your room to check on you"

"I know" Eve said sadly "I hate what happened so much and I live with the guilt everyday"

"You betrayed my trust me" AJ said to her "I trusted you with not only my secrets but I also trusted you with the most important thing in my life- Phil"

"I don't know what I was thinking" Eve told her honestly "I was so messed up that night"

"Why didn't you talk to me?" AJ asked her "I would have listened. You didn't have to kiss my husband"

"Because you were fresh out of the hospital I didn't want to complain to you because in comparison my problems were nothing" Eve told her honestly

"Do you think that would have mattered to me?" AJ asked sadly "You have helped me so much and been so supportive I wish you would have let me return the favor"

"I want to take it back AJ I really do" Eve said holding back tears "I've lost two of my best friends and I hate myself everyday for it" AJ took pity on her friend who was always there for her in the past. If it wasn't for Eve and Rener AJ might not have survived leaving Christian the first time.

"You haven't" AJ said to her "I can't just cut people out of my life, I'm not built that way" she told her "And I know Phil still considers you a friend. You have us"

"You don't have to say that" Eve said to her

"I am really mad at you" AJ clarified "and I won't forget what you did but I care about you and obviously you need a friend so I want to help just like you did for me."

"Thank you" Eve said pulling her into a hug and AJ reluctantly hugged her back . Punk was turning the corner but stopped when he saw AJ embracing Eve. He smiled faintly towards them then turned around so he wouldn't interrupt them.

* * *

When AJ arrived on the bus she found Punk already there icing his back.

"You took a rough hit tonight" She noted

"Yea nothing a little ice won't fix" Punk said to her "When are we meeting up with Seth?" he asked her casually

"I cancelled for tonight" she informed him "You need to rest and I'm pretty tired myself"

"You didn't have to do that" Punk told her "I seriously don't mind"

"I know" AJ said to him walking over to the couch he was sitting on "Turn" she instructed so his back was to her and he knew what she wanted and her his icepack so she could ice it herself

"I thought that was really nice what you did for Eve" Punk said to her

"You saw that huh?" AJ asked "Did you catch me slapping her first?"

"You hit her?" Punk asked surprised

"I wouldn't have been able to hug her if I didn't" she admitted "I'm not as calm and cool as you I guess"

"Regardless she seemed happy and you didn't have to do that" Punk said to her "You should proud of yourself"

"You were right" AJ said as she moved the icepack higher hitting the right spot "She helped me out a lot and I can't just forget that because she did one bad thing. I can't forget she kissed you but I also can't forget she helped save me either"

"I wish I could think like you" Punk admitted "So forgiving and kind"

"I'm really not that kind" AJ smirked

"Trust me you're a saint" Punk told her "Tough but with a heart of gold"

"You're my heart" AJ said resting her chin on his shoulder while she kept the pressure on his back she could see out of the corner of her eye his smile "You make me better"

"Well I want you to know I'm really going to try with Seth" Punk promised "I mean it too. If you can do it I should be able to as well"

"I appreciate that" she said to him softly "But I understand why you're hesitant and trust me I would never disrespect you or marriage if I had feelings for Seth or felt he did for me."

"I know" Punk said to her

"You need a shower" AJ said standing up "It will help your back"

"Join me?" Punk asked hopefully standing up with a stupid grin

"No" She laughed "Your back needs to rest but I'll massage it for you later"

"I'll take it" Punk said kissing her slowly and cupping her cheek with his one hand


	52. Victim

**Chapter 52: Victim**

* * *

"Finally back home" Punk said as he and AJ stepped into their home

"We worked for two days" AJ smirked

"Two days after being off for over two months is long enough" Punk told her

"How's your back?" AJ asked as he dropped their bags to the floor

"It's tight" Punk admitted "Maybe you could rub it down later again? It felt so much better after you massaged it"

"Sure" She said simply

"And maybe you'll let me get to second base this time?" Punk asked hopefully

"You could barely walk yesterday and all you could think about was getting laid" AJ smirked "Worry about your back"

"I am" Punk told her seriously "I'm worried about other parts of my body as well"

"You're insatiable" AJ grinned

"And you're irresistible" Punk countered

"I'm seriously worried about you" AJ said with a frown

"I'll be fine I've been hit harder" Punk assured her

"Maybe you should soak in a bath" AJ suggested as Punk just snorted

"I don't take baths I'm a man" Punk said to her seriously

"You enjoyed the last one" AJ pointed out

"I wasn't alone" Punk smirked "But I won't turn down the hot tub"

"Good choice" she said to him

"You'll join me?" he asked hopefully

"Maybe…if you play your cards right" she teased.

Punk was ready to follow her up the steps and get started right now but a knock at the door halted him

"I'm still being punished" Punk muttered walking to the door and opening to reveal Claudette Williams "Detective Williams" he said surprised

"Mr. Brooks may I come in?" she asked and he stepped aside

"Is everything ok?" Punk asked nervously. Normally home visits from cops didn't end well

"Yes" She assured him "But I'd really like to speak to your wife as well there's something you should know"

"Ok" Punk said but as he turned to go up the steps AJ was making her way back down

"Detective" AJ said surprised plastering on a smile

"Mrs. Brooks it's good to see you again" Claudette smiled shaking her hand

"What's going on?" AJ asked

"Please let's sit" she said gesturing towards the couch "There was an incident with Mr. Scott" AJ hitched a breath already thinking he was out and ready to gun her down again.

"What kind of incident?" Punk asked in a dangerous voice while AJ grabbed his hand subconsciously and squeezed it

"He was injured in prison" Claudette told them "Attempted suicide"

"Are we supposed to feel bad?" Punk questioned

"No I didn't come here so you two could sign a get well soon card" Claudette smirked "I'm here because he's in the hospital nearest to here and I thought you both should know. But he's under twenty-four hour armed security surveillance"

"Comforting" Punk muttered

"That's not all" Claudette said looking towards AJ

"Why are you looking at her like that?" Punk asked curiously

"He wants to see me" AJ said already knowing what she was going to say. She knew Christian well.

"Yes Mrs. Brooks" Claudette said to her "He's requested to see you many times already"

"She's not going to do that" Punk said to the Detective "Thanks for stopping by though" he said standing up

"Phil" AJ sighed placing a hand on her hand while she thought this over

"You can't be serious AJ" Punk said stunned "The last few run-ins you've had with him you were hurt"

"He said he won't stop trying to take his own life" Claudette said to Punk

"Good I truly hope he succeeds next time" Punk said seriously "The only way she's stopping by to see him is to slip him a razor blade so he could finish the job!"

"Phil!" AJ scolded

"I won't show one once of sympathy towards that man and you shouldn't either" Punk told her seriously "And the fact that the Chicago PD is in my house asking you to appease him is outrageous!"

"I'm not asking your wife to appease him or even go but I thought she had a right to know" Claudette told him simply

"Can you give us a minute?" AJ asked Punk who looked even more surprised

"Are you kidding me?" Punk mocked but AJ didn't respond so Punk just shook his head in disbelief and walked out of the room

"Sorry" AJ said to Claudette

"Don't be sorry" Claudette smiled "He's a good man your husband. He's worried about you with cause."

"How did he try to do it?" AJ asked him

"He tried to hang himself with his bed sheet" Claudette told her "The sheet ripped another fifty seconds and he would have been dead" AJ just nodded taking in all of the information "You don't have to see him."

"What do you think I should do?" AJ asked her hoping she could offer her some un-biased advice

"I think you've spent enough time living with his demons" Claudette told her honestly

"Do you think he'll try to kill himself again?" AJ asked her

"It's possible but he'll be watched very closely" Claudette told her "It's not your responsibility to save him"

"I know" she said softly

"He'll be in the hospital for the next two days, if you want to go you have my number" Claudette said standing up "I'll be right in there next to you if you do this"

"Thank you" AJ smiled standing up and walking her to the door.

Once Claudette was gone AJ locked the door and when she turned around she saw Punk leaning against the doorframe

"You can't really be considering this" Punk said to her

"I have to" AJ said to him

"Why?" Punk asked walking towards her "After everything he's done to you and to me you really feel the need to save him?"

"It's not about that" AJ said to him "If he would have died I would have been happy but at the same time I can't change the fact that I'm human. I don't want anyone to die"

"Oh my jeebus!" Punk yelled frustrated "Do I need to go down the list of reasons of why you should want him to die?" he questioned

"No I have a good memory thank you very much" AJ said bitterly

"Reason number one- treated you like shit when you were together, reason number two- assaulted you when you broke up with him, reason number 3- had his men kick the crap out of me-" Punk started rambling on and taping his fingers with each point he made

"I get it Phil" AJ warned watching him but he continued on anyway

"reason 4- had men stalk you and film you having sex, reason number 5- beat you with a belt, reason 6- hired a hooker to sleep with me, reason number 7- broke into our home, drowned you then was going to make me watch with him while some animal raped you, reason number 8- had you kidnapped and the most reason stabbed you!" Punk yelled. With each point he made his voice got higher

"I get it!" AJ yelled "I know everything he did ok"

"So why do you want to save him?" Punk asked her desperately "Just help me understand!"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" AJ yelled back then ran up the stairs. The next thing he heard was the bedroom door slamming shut.

* * *

Punk wandered up the stairs and paced back in forth in the hallway for a few minutes before entering. He wanted to get his anger in check and resist the urge to lock her in the basement until Christian Scott was no longer a plague on their lives.

"I can hear you out there!" Her voice yelled out from the bedroom and that's when Punk entered. He saw her sitting on the bed with her hands folded "I don't want you to be mad at me"

"I'm not mad at you" Punk told her "I'm confused that's all"

"You have to understand that I don't care if he lives or dies but he's put his fate into my hands and whatever I decide could weigh on my for the rest of my life" AJ told him softly with glassy eyes

"I know and I hate that he's doing this to you again" Punk said walking over to her and getting on his knees in front of her "I just want him to go away and if he decided to take his own life then he's no longer an issue for us. Don't you want that kind of peace of mind? Yea you'll feel guilty even though you shouldn't because you can't control what people do but imagine all the peace we could have. I know you want to have children one day but do you want to bring children into a world that Christian Scott still lives in?"

"Phil-" AJ started as she registered his words

"He's going to prison for ten years max but we both know he'd be out sooner. He'll be out before you know it and it will start all over again" Punk was now almost pleading with her "Let him rot, let him die. He's a monster and he doesn't deserve your generosity"

"He is a monster" AJ agreed quietly "But I'm not" she reminded him

"I know" Punk said shaking his head "God I wish you weren't such a good person sometimes"

"You always say to me that you are who you are and you can't change that" AJ pointed out "And this is who I am and I can't change that either"

"I don't want you to change I just want you to be safe and happy" Punk said to her "That's all I ever want for you"

"I just don't think I'd be able to look myself in the mirror knowing I have someone's blood on my hands" AJ said to him

"A man's blood who had your own blood on his hands literally a few months ago" Punk said to her as she held back tears

"He's still a man" AJ reminded him and he knew her mind was made up

"I can't support this AJ" Punk said standing up

"Phil-" she started

"AJ we're married and we make decisions together" Punk told her "I don't want you going"

"I'd like it if you came with me" AJ said to him

"And I'd like it if you didn't go" Punk said to her "If you're going to do this you're doing it without me. It's him or me"

"Don't say it like that" AJ pleaded

"That's what it comes down to AJ" Punk told her

"Please don't abandon me right now" AJ begged "I'm going to need you"

"You don't have to do it without me" Punk told her simply "Just don't do it"

"Phil I have to" AJ said to him "Tell me you can at least try to understand the position I'm in"

"I do AJ and I feel for you but I don't see why you should even care" Punk said shaking his head "You shouldn't do this and you know it and I'm not going to support you practically saving the man that almost killed you- almost killed us. I know you're scared AJ you still have nightmares why won't you just let this nightmare die?"

"Because I can't walk away from someone who was apart of my life for so long and watch them die if I can help it" AJ said to him "He's been horrible and I hope he suffers for everything he's done but it doesn't change the fact that he was a huge part of my life"

"So now you want to save him because you love him?" Punk mocked

"I don't love him!" AJ argued standing up "But you need to understand we have a lot history. I also want him to see he hasn't killed me or broken me"

"Yea good idea just dangle yourself in front of that sick freak just long enough to motivate him to get back on his feet" Punk barked "Brilliant plan AJ"

"Do you not know me at all?" AJ asked him "That's not why I'm doing this-"

"I do know you AJ that's the problem" Punk said to her "You're going to walk in there and be his saving grace and he's going to get all riled up again. And who knows who has working for him? The guards at the hospital? The Doctors? Haven't you learned not to trust anyone yet?"

"Claudette said she'd go in with me" AJ said to him

"Oh good because I trust her" Punk mocked

"So come with me" AJ told him

"If I see him I'll kill him" Punk warned "I will literally wrap my hands around his throat and finish the job he started"

"Why are you being so cold?" AJ asked him

"Because the man gutted you like god damn fish AJ!" Punk shouted starling her a bit "Because he's screwed me up just as much as he did you and I felt you and I were finally progressing and moving past all of it! I want him dead AJ and I don't care who it gets done as long as it gets done. Is it cold? Maybe. Do I mean every word? Yes. He hurt you in ways that nearly killed me so no I'm not going to a light a candle for him or hold his hand because suddenly his conscience is eating at him" Punk stated firmly

"I get it" AJ said to him "It wasn't fair of me to ask you to come with me"

"Stop being so nice!" Punk yelled "Stop caring about people who don't deserve it, stop forgiving!"

"This doesn't mean I forgive him" AJ defended

"I'm sure he won't see it that way or maybe the judge won't see it that way when he comes up for parole in a few years. The fact that his victim showed up at his bedside in his time of need won't weigh on any important decisions I'm sure" Punk mocked

"Don't call me that" AJ warned as her face turned red and even Punk was a little startled "I am not a victim" she hissed stepping towards him "And I'm certainly not his victim I am still standing here and I did it on my own so don't you ever call me that again"

"What were you than?" Punk asked with a frown. She didn't even respond she just glided past him and left him alone in the room.

* * *

Punk hadn't spoken to AJ since their argument hours ago and he did feel bad that she was so upset with him but if it at all caused her to doublethink going to see Christian it was worth it. He walked down the steps and saw she was sound asleep on the couch. The living room was dark and the only light was from the TV. She looked beautiful curled into a small ball on the large couch and he saw she shivered slightly so he grabbed the throw blanket that hung over the couch and placed it over her small frame and turned off the TV. He didn't want to move her and risk waking her, she needed sleep and he was pretty sure she'd punch him in the face if she woke up in his arms. He had never seen her so mad before- he hit a sore spot and he wasn't proud to exploit it but her safety and sanity was his priority and he'd protect it even sacrificing himself in the process. He kissed the top her head lightly then headed back the upstairs, leaving her in peace for the night.


	53. Taking Her With Me

**Chapter 53: Taking Her With Me**

* * *

When AJ woke up the next morning she noticed the TV was off and someone had covered her up, obviously it was Punk and she was feeling terrible about their argument. Maybe it was selfish of her to make such a rash decision without speaking to him first. She headed up the stairs and saw the bed was unmade but he wasn't there. Once she searched upstairs enough she headed down the stairs into the kitchen and saw a note on the counter.

_'Went to Colts, I'll be back probably before you. I know you're going to do what you believe is right but so am I. I hope you understand that. I love you'_

AJ frowned at the noted and placed it back on the counter. Last night she was sure she was doing the right thing but without Punk's support she wasn't so sure.

AJ went with her gut instead of her head and heart and headed over to the hospital. Detective Williams told her she'd meet her there and when AJ walked to the entrance of the hospital she was already waiting for her.

"Mrs. Brooks I was surprised to get your message" Claudette admitted as they walked inside together

"I'm surprised too" AJ said to her as she pushed the up button on the elevator

"Your husband isn't joining you?" Claudette asked surprised

"He's not very comfortable with the entire thing" AJ admitted as they stepped onto the elevator

"All the more reason I thought he'd show" Claudette told her simply "You do realize he's right. You don't owe this man a damn thing"

"I know" AJ said to her "But I can't live with myself if he dies. I don't want that on me"

"Christian knows that Mrs. Brooks which is why he asked to see you he knew you wouldn't turn him down" Claudette warned her as they reached the fifth floor and AJ followed her off the elevator "You still don't have to go in there"

"I know I don't have to" AJ said firmly

"Oh look at that" Claudette smirked as they rounded the corner in the hospital

"Phil?" AJ asked herself. She was about ten feet away but she saw him sitting in a chair across from what she presumed to be Christian's room

"I knew he'd show" Claudette smirked to AJ before she walked towards him

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked catching Punk's attention

"I'm trying to be a better person" Punk said to her "Well a better husband at least" he stood up and pulled her to the side so they could have some privacy "I don't agree with this and I hate that you're doing this but this is who you are and I don't want you to change that part of you. And the more I thought about it the more proud I am of you that you didn't let him take this good in you away. You're remarkable and I want you to know that"

"Thank you for coming" AJ said with a sigh of relief "Thank you" she whispered again pulling him into a hug "I love you for doing this for me" he pulled away and looked down at her

"Now you're sure right?" Punk asked her "Like I said no one will blame you for letting him rot"

"I am" AJ said to him "Do you want to come in with me?"

"Well another reason I'm here is because I don't trust one single person right now so yea I think I'll be joining you" he said with a tight smile

"Just don't let him egg you on" AJ encouraged

"Don't worry about me" Punk said to her "This is your moment you say what you have to say and you won't even know I'm there"

Claudette stepped into the room dark room first.

"Allergic to the sunlight?" Claudette asked Christian. Both his wrists were cuffed to the bed and he was looking up at the ceiling

"My mornings have no meaning" Christian told her in a dry voice "Did you speak to April?"

"Yes and she's here" Claudette told him and his eyes immediately connected with hers

"Bring her in here" Christian demanded

"Be on your best behavior" Claudette warned "She doesn't have to be here and if you try anything I have my gun on me and I will shoot you down like a dog"

"Bring her to me" Christian whispered as Claudette just opened the door and AJ and Punk stepped in. "April" he smiled not even caring that Punk was with her, he actually expected it "I knew you'd come"

"Christian" AJ said trying to hide her nervousness

"You look absolutely ravishing" Christian smiled softly "Hawaii certainly agreed with you" the subtle line caused Punk to bite on his tongue _'how did he know that?'_

"You wanted to see me so here I am" she said simply

"I just needed to see you with my own eyes, see that you're truly alive" Christian said to her

"No thanks to you" AJ said bitterly

"The only thing I would change is making sure you were truly gone" Christian said to her "You can't live without me"

"I'm doing just fine" AJ remarked feeling her nerve starting to come back

"I'm sure you are but what I meant was that I can't let you" Christian told her "Same as I cant live without you"

"It's over Christian" AJ informed taking a step closer to the bed and Punk held back the urge to tug her back "The games, the violence- you're in prison"

"Steel bars can't keep me from you" Christian said to her simply "Just look where am I now with you"

"This is the last time you are ever going to see me" AJ warned him "Don't ask to see me again either because I won't come"

"Sure you will" he smiled "You don't want me to die"

"You're right" AJ agreed "I want you to rot in a dirty prison cell I want you to live with the guilt"

"I feel a lot of things April, guilt isn't one" Christian informed her "Regret yes but not guilt"

"You are sick" AJ seethed "You didn't kill me and you don't consume me. I haven't given you a second thought in months"

"Every time you look in the mirror or look down at your stomach you'll see me, you'll remember" Christian told her coolly "I left my mark on you and that's just the physical ones. The real deep marks I left on you aren't physical and you know that"

"Look at you" AJ spat looking at him with a disgusted face "You're pathetic. You don't have power, you don't have your money and you don't have freedom"

"I have all I need" Christian countered "I love you April"

"And I hate you" she replied quickly

"That's not true" Christian said to her "You wouldn't be standing here if you did"

"I'm here to prove that I'm better than you, I'm here to show you that I don't need you, I'm here to show you that I'm still standing" AJ said to him proudly "You're going to die alone"

"No we're going to die together" Christian replied

"It's enough" Punk said having heard enough while Claudette observed "You said what you had to say let's go AJ"

"April" Christian said in a smooth mocking voice "He's jealous of me"

"Jealous of you?" Punk asked taking a step forward "I'm disgusted by you and I'm only to tell you try not to fuck up and finish yourself off next time"

"Hostile" Christian smiled "It was shame how that bed sheet couldn't hold my weight, you would have thought that was something I would have considered…"

"I know you only did this because you wanted to see her you're too much of a chicken shit to actually off yourself" Punk spat

"I wasn't too much of a chicken to knife her practically in front of your face" Christian replied and Punk went to lunge at him but AJ stepped in front of him

"Don't" she whispered then looked over to him "He's nothing" she spat at Christian "He's not half of the man you are" she said looking at Punk deeply "He never was and never could be" Christian remained quiet while he watched the newlyweds interact. Punk caught on and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning down and kissing her.

"Do it again" Christian encouraged when the pulled away "I'd like to imagine myself as you" he said to Punk "I'm getting excited just looking at her. Does she still do that thing with her tongue-"

"Enough" Detective Williams said "Your time is up"

"It was more than I hoped for" Christian smiled towards her "Thank you Detective"

"I hope you die" Punk told him coldly

"I wouldn't wish for that because I'll be taking April with me" Christian replied even starling Punk a bit.

"No you won't" AJ said to him happily "You've thrown your best at me and it still wasn't good enough. You don't want me gone because you love me you want me gone because I've bested you time and time again. You're jealous that I'm smarter than you- you hate losing and you simply were no match for me"

"Sweet April you haven't seen anything yet" Christian said smugly "You either Mr. Brooks. Oh and I do hope you're treating our girl with the outmost respect. She's far more beautiful than Ms. Torres"

"Don't worry I treat AJ real good" he smirked with a wink

"Let's go" AJ said grabbing Punk's hand

* * *

Once they got back to the house Punk was bothered by the interaction. He again knew more than an incarcerated man should know.

"I feel better" AJ said to him

"Good" Punk said slowly "I don't" he admitted "How did he know we were in Hawaii? Or about Eve?"

"It was on the internet Phil" AJ reminded him "Anybody could have found that out easily"

"It makes me think he's still having us watched" Punk said to her "I don't like the idea of people watching you at home especially when I'm not around"

"It's fine" AJ assured him

"It's not fine" Punk spat "Look I've been giving this a lot of thought…how do you feel about moving?"

"Out of Chicago?" AJ asked

"No" Punk said to her "Just into a bigger place"

"Bigger than this place?" AJ smirked

"We're going to be starting a family one day and we're going to need more space" Punk said to her "Maybe we should start now and get the ball rolling"

"How big of a place?" AJ asked curiously and he smirked

"Huge" Punk said to her "We'll double the size of the gym"

"Can we have a pool?" AJ asked hopefully

"We can have anything you want" he said seriously

"I defiantly want a pool" AJ said and he nodded

"We'll have a pool, a hot tub, a theatre room-" Punk rambled "Everything you've ever dreamed about. Plus better security."

"Ok" she said with a smile "But don't you think we'd be lonely in a great big house with just the two of us?"

"No I'm sure we'd be fine" Punk smirked "Why?"

"Can we get a dog?" she asked with doe eyes

"A dog?" he asked cringing slightly "They're so messy"

"You have to train them" AJ defended

"When would we even have time? We're always on the road and that's not fair to a dog" Punk pointed out

"The puppy can come with us!" AJ reasoned happily

"We're going to be one of those couples?" Punk asked eyeing her "And I guess this means you want a small dog since it would be traveling with us"

"I mean I'm no opposed to a big dog" AJ said to him "But a small one would be easier for us"

"Or we can get a huge Doberman or German Shepherd which also make great guard dogs" Punk said to her

"Whatever you want the bus is big enough" AJ told him

"I don't know AJ…" Punk said to her but she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and started peppering his face with kisses

"Please, please, please, please?" she begged still kissing all over his face

"Damn it AJ" he said feeling himself give in

"I was never able to really have a dog because you know my family never really had a home" She said knowing that would seal the deal

"Shit" he muttered "Can we move first then get the dog?"

"So we can get the dog?" AJ asked looking for confirmation

"You can have whatever you want" Punk said almost annoyed. He can't believe how she had him wrapped around her little dainty finger.

"Thank you" She said hugging him "I can't wait!"

"We have a lot of time" Punk said to her "So take your time picking what kind of dog you want"

"Don't be silly" AJ smiled "You don't pick the dog, the dog picks you"

"Right" Punk smirked "But seriously no dog until we move" he warned "This place isn't big enough-"

"Are you kidding?" AJ mocked "This place could house an entire animal shelter and still have room but I can be patient and wait"

"Good girl" he said with a wink

* * *

"So where is Cliff?" AJ asked as her Punk and Colt had lunch together in the kitchen

"He should be over any minute he just had to run an errand" Colt said

"We should have waited for him before we ate" AJ said to them

"No we shouldn't" Punk replied taking a bite out of his food

"So Punk told me you guys are getting a dog" Colt grinned

"I said a house and a dog and you find the dog news to be more exciting?" Punk asked him

"Ignore him AJ he loves dogs" Colt informed her ignoring his friend who rolled his eyes

"Oh I know he's a total marshmallow" AJ giggled

"I am not a marshmallow" Punk defended

"Please he used to sleep with Amy's dog all of the time" Colt told her "And carried him around like a purse"

"I remember that" AJ said to him as they continued to speak as if Punk wasn't even there "He used to show up for shows carrying Kenz. He was selfish too I asked to pet Kenz once and he practically ripped my head off"

"That's not true" Punk remarked

"It is so true" AJ said to him seriously "You just don't remember because you were a huge asshole back than"

"He still is" Colt corrected

"Hey be nice to him" AJ warned Colt with a laugh

"Why would I care if you pet the dog?" Punk asked her

"You were obsessed with Kenz" AJ said and Colt agreed "I said '_oh what a cute dog can I pet him?_' and you said '_he is a she and no because I can only imagine where your hand has been_'"

"Dude" Colt said insulted for AJ while Punk look mortified

"I didn't say that-" Punk started but AJ just eyed him "Did I?"

"Yup" she confirmed

"I am so sorry" He said to her honestly

"It's fine" AJ smirked "I think I've moved past it"

"Why would you talk to her like that?" Colt asked Punk seriously

"He was a jerk to all of the little people backstage" AJ informed Colt "I was a lonely seamstress he didn't give a crap about me or my feelings"

"That wasn't it" Punk said firmly

"How would you know? You don't even remember insulting her!" Colt pointed out

"I'm sure he only said it because I had mistaken his precious dog for a boy" AJ said grinning at Punk "I think it's sweet how much you loved Kenz"

"You're such a dick" Colt said shaking his in disbelief "Why the hell did you marry him?"

"Shut up" Punk shot at Colt "And I liked Kenz- love is a strong word"

"You loved that dog and when Amy left and took her with her you were heartbroken which is why you don't like dogs now" Colt told him simply

"I don't dislike dogs" Punk said to her "But it's impossible to say 'I like dogs' when all dogs are different. It's like saying 'I like people'. Everyone is different and dogs have their own personalities" he said to them

"I agree" AJ smiled

"Hey guys!" Cliff shouted announcing his presences

"You gave him your key to my place?" Punk asked Colt

"He made a copy without me knowing" Colt defended quickly

"Oh what the fuc-" Punk started as he noticed Cliff walking into the kitchen with a small dog

"Oh my god!" AJ grinned standing up "Is this your dog?"

"No I'm watching this little guy for a friend" Cliff said passing her the small Pekingese dog. "Colt mentioned you were guys were looking into getting one and I know how much you love dogs so I thought I'd bring him by"

"You don't mind me holding him right?" AJ asked Cliff who gave her an odd face

"Why would I mind?" Cliff smiled "You're one of the sweetest people I know!"

"Are you sure you don't want to inspect where her hands been?" Colt asked causing Punk to glare at him "Hey man you suck for that comment" he whispered towards Punk

"I already know where her hands have been and have decided to let her play with the dog anyway" Cliff told him. As Punk was about to respond his attention turned to his very happy wife.

"I love him!" AJ cheered holding him high above her face and kissing the dog "What's his name?"

"Jones" Cliff said to him

"Hi Jones" AJ said cradling the dog as if he was a baby. Punk just tightened his grip on his knife and eyed Cliff

"I thought maybe we could take him for a walk later…together" Cliff grinned waggling his eyebrows

"Can we go right now?" AJ asked anxiously

"Yea!" Cliff cheered as AJ skipped out of the kitchen with the dog "You don't mind right?" he asked with a laugh looking towards Punk

"I hate you" Punk said simply "And you're going to pay"

"I thought she could use some cheering up" Cliff said coolly

"If you're not back with her in ten minutes I'm going to go in search of you and I better not find you" Punk threatened

"You're so mean" Cliff said to him "Can't you just let me have this moment?"

"Can I let you have this moment with my wife?" Punk mocked tapping his finger against his chin searching for the answer

"I get it, I get it" Cliff said to him "We won't be long"

"Seriously keep an eye on her" Punk said "I think we're being watched again"

"Dude come on" Cliff said to him "I've got her back don't worry"

"I know" Punk said seriously as Cliff headed out the kitchen.

"Why do you think that?" Colt asked him

"Oh you won't believe the morning I've had" Punk laughed preparing to tell Colt all about Christian…


	54. On Your Toes

**Chapter 54: On Your Toes**

* * *

Later that night after AJ and Cliff took Jones for his walk they came back to the house and AJ spent most of the day playing with she small dog. When it was time for Cliff to leave she was sad to see Jones go.

"Did you have fun?" Punk asked her as she cleaned up the kitchen

"Yea Jones was so cute" AJ said happily as Punk wrapped his arms around her waist as he came up behind her "Where have you been all day mister? You and Colt kind of disappeared should I be concerned?" she teased as he kissed the nape of her neck

"He was helping me put something together in the gym" Punk said to her "I believe yesterday you promised to join me in the hot tub…"

"I remember that" AJ smiled as he kissed her neck now "Don't leave a mark" she warned

"I'm behaving" Punk grinned against her then placed another sweet kiss behind her ear "So hot tub?"

"After I clean up" AJ said to him

"Ok" he said pulling away "Can I help speed up the process?"

"No but you can go heat up the hot tub" AJ said to him

"Alright" he smirked "I'll meet you on the roof"

"Ok" she smirked already feeling anxious to relax with her husband.

* * *

Once she cleaned up she threw on a brand new red bikini (knowing red was his favorite). She was still unsure with the scar but he made her feel comfortable and the entire time she was in Hawaii she refused to wear a two-piece but with Phil he made her feel beautiful and that's all that mattered to her. She grabbed her robe and covered up as she headed to the roof.

"What is all of this?" AJ asked looking around the candlelit roof. There were no lights on, just candles lighting her way to the hot tub.

"Oh this?" Punk asked looking around as he was resting in the hot tub "Just something I threw together" AJ smiled towards him and then shivered. It was only April so it was still chilly but no wind, the night was perfect for this. "Hurry up before you freeze" he said waving her. She walked over to the hot tub and pulled down her robe. "Damn" he muttered

"You like?" she asked twirling once to give him a view

"I like a lot" He mustered out "My wife is so hot"

"You are a lucky guy" AJ teased as he stood up and grabbed her hand to help her in "Phil" She laughed noticing he wasn't wearing anything

"I'm just saving time" Punk said simply as AJ sat down and he joined next to her

"So what's with all the candles?" she asked kissing his cheek

"Can't I just be romantic?" Punk asked offended but she just arched a brow "You deserve nights like this…plus I feel bad about that comment I made"

"You're doing this because you feel bad about something you said to me years ago? You didn't even know me" AJ smirked "I forgive you anyway. You didn't know that we were going to end up together, seriously it's fine"

"I still feel like shit and Colt made me feel even worse" Punk admitted

"You've said worse to me" AJ said to him as his eyes widened in fear of what else he could have said to his wife long before he even dated her "I'm kidding!" she giggled

"I said something to you that if someone else would have said to you…" Punk trailed off as he tried to find the words

"..you would have destroyed them" AJ smirked "I know and stop beating yourself up it was so long ago and I barely even remembered it"

"Yet you still spoke to me" Punk said to her

"How could I not you practically stalked me" AJ giggled

"I was intrigued" Punk defended with a smile as AJ inched closer to him

"I thought what you said to me was pretty funny actually" AJ admitted "I thought 'wow he's an asshole but at least he's humorous'"

"Still feel that way?" Punk questioned as AJ's hand moved in-between his bare thighs and found his member and began to play with it in her small yet dangerous hand

"Yes" She said simply as he tried to glare at her but was enjoying her too much "But now it's like 'well he's an asshole but at least he's humorous and great in bed'"

"You love to boost my ego" Punk mustered out

"You have no idea how far I could boost it" AJ smiled kissing his neck. He pulled away her hand gently and tugged her onto his lap

"What do you mean by that?" Punk asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck

"As much as I feel you would love the outcome of the story I don't think you'd like the beginning or end of it" AJ smirked kissing his lips while his hands ran up her back and untied her top

"Tell me" he said pulling away but not before tugging on her bottom lip

"You really won't like most of it" AJ said as she pressed her bare chest into his "And we're having such a good night…" she said leaning in again to capture his lips which obliged.

"Please?" he asked against her lips but she shook her head 'no'. "Pretty please?" he asked again

"No" she laughed lightly

"With a cherry on top?" he asked moving his hand now in-between her thighs and pressing on her sweet spot through the thin material

"Phil" she moaned out light as the rest of his hand palmed her down there and she arched into him "..not fair"

"Boost my ego" he grinned kissing her mouth again, this time slipping his tongue inside and the two battled for dominance. "Come on baby" he whispered pulling away as his hand now pushed her bottoms to the side and inserted a long finger inside of her. She already started to move against him but his free hand stilled her body

"No" she moaned resting her head against his forehead

"Tell me" he insisted against as he moved his finger out then with a second finger pushed it back in forcefully

"When you Seth and I were talking the other night…what you walked in on…" She said trying to concentrate as he continued the movements of his fingers inside of her. She was quiet now and he curled a finger inside of her causing her groan

"Come on" he smirked- he loved watching her fall to pieces this way

"…we were talking about this night we were together, the last night" AJ said to him

"You're right I'm not enjoying this" he said abruptly pulling his fingers out of her

"I told you" she whined, "Wait, wait let me finish" she said placing her hands on his shoulders "It was our last night because I called out your name" she said to him and he eyed her carefully

"What do you mean by that?" Punk asked

"You know what I mean!" She said seriously "We were having sex and I called him Phil"

"Really?" Punk grinned proudly

"Yes really!" AJ said "Now please stop this" she said grabbing his hand and kissing his fingers

"He heard you?" Punk asked with a goofy smile. He was enjoying this too much now.

"I'm sure the neighbors heard me Phil" She said annoyed "Happy?"

"Not really because now I have the mental image of you and that rat in my head" Punk admitted "But I do like how you were thinking about me"

"You're still all I think about" She said resting her knees on the seat of the hot tub, arching up so her chest was at his eye level

"You're my girl" He said looking up to her and she nodded as he began to kiss her cleavage. AJ wrapped her arms around his head so she was practically smothering his face into her body.

"I've always been your girl" She agreed closing her eyes as Punk's hand moved to her thighs and tugged down the red bottoms

"And you always will be" he said once she was freed of the bottoms. He pulled away and eased her down onto him so he was buried inside of her. Both let out load moans. Punk let her take control as his hands rested at her torso, a few minutes in he made a request

"Say my name" he said looking up at her but she was so in the moment she didn't even hear him

"AJ" He said louder and she opened her eyes briefly to look down at him "Say it" he said in a lower dark voice

"Say what baby?" she asked as she continued her movements. As she rose up again his hands moved quickly to her hips and slammed her back down onto him causing her to let out a scream of pleasure

"My name" he requested feeling himself start to reach his peak

"Phil" She whispered as she began to move again

"Louder" He requested pushing himself into her and slamming her back down

"Oh god!" She moaned "Phil" She said louder

"I can't hear you" he said now taking control

"Phil!" She screamed out as he just nodded approvingly. A few moments later he released himself deep inside of wife and she followed right after.

"This couldn't have been good for your back" she said as she rested her head onto his shoulder. She was still straddling him and he was still buried inside of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cuddled her head into his neck

"My back is good" Punk assured her as he ran his hand up and down her water covered back "You're good" he said and he could feel her lips part into a smile against his neck

"Thanks it's about time you boosted my ego" AJ teased lightly but she was now spent and didn't have much energy

"You don't have ego" Punk said to her "You don't need one"

"And you do?" she asked

"Sometimes" Punk admitted "I want to be the best you already are"

"So are you" she said to him

"Come on let's get you to bed" Punk said trying to move but she refused

"I'm so comfortable" she whined against him "And you made it so pretty out here. I want to enjoy it"

"You might have to adjust yourself then" Punk suggested causing her to pick her head up and she just smiled

"Right, sorry" she said with a smile carefully moving so he could ease his way out of her

"Don't apologize for that- ever" he said in an almost warning voice

"By the way I spoke to a realtor earlier and they're going to set us up with a few places to look at next week" Punk said to her

"So soon?" AJ asked him "I kind of love it here"

"Yea but this place doesn't hold the best memories for me" Punk admitted and she knew what he was referring to. "I also don't think it's the safest option"

"We got married here" AJ reminded him

"I know" Punk said to her "But you were almost killed here too. And like I said I don't like that Christian knows so much. I'd feel better once we were gone from here"

"Ok" she said to him simply. If this would give him peace of my mind then she would go with it. "And then we could get a dog?"

"Yes then we get the dog" Punk groaned "Preferably a big one that we can train to bite all men that come near you but me"

"That'll backfire" She smirked "What about when Colt and Cliff come over?"

"I'm especially training the dog to attack Cliff" Punk said seriously

"They're going to be at the house just as much as we are" AJ reminded him

"No they're not and they're not getting keys either" Punk said sternly "It was fine when I was single but now I think they purposely come over unannounced in the hopes of catching you naked or something"

"You're insane" She laughed

"I'm right" Punk said to her seriously

"I really think you're overreacting" AJ smirked to him "Not every man wants me"

"The guys backstage want you" Punk told her seriously as she scoffed

"I'm serious AJ" Punk said to her "Ziggler, Miz, Ryder, Cena-"

"John does not want me" AJ laughed "He has Nikki"

"Which is exactly why he wants you" Punk said seriously

"It doesn't matter because I've always liked you" AJ grinned

"Oh really?" Punk asked seriously "Before or after I insulted you?"

"I've been a fan of yours for a very long time" AJ admitted "I watched you in Ring of Honor"

"You never mentioned this" Punk smiled

"Because I didn't want you to think I was some sort of groupie" AJ said to him "I even watched you wrestle in ROH"

"Oh really" Punk smirked "I wish I could remember you"

"Well it's best you didn't. I was a teen" she laughed

"Ugh now I feel like a pervert" Punk groaned annoyed

"Hey you were no pervert" AJ said seriously "I'll tell you who I did have a gross run-in with at the show"

"Great" Punk muttered "Now I'm going to have go to beat someone up for hitting on my wife when she was a kid"

"I wasn't a little kid" AJ said to him "I was 16 maybe even 17 I'm not sure. But I did run into AJ Styles at a show"

"At least its someone I already hate" Punk said to her "Alright tell me right now why I'm going to punch him in the face next time I bump into him. I'm sure he's going to want an explanation"

"It wasn't a big deal" AJ said to him "But I snuck backstage with my older sister and she is a little promiscuous…anyway she was flirting with him backstage and introduced me to him and he implied he would love to be with sisters"

"What a fucking creep" Punk said disgusted "You still look like you're 16 most of the time I could only imagine how young you looked back then"

"I looked much older thank you very much" AJ defended as Punk snorted

"So what happened?" Punk asked "Don't tell me-"

"Ew Phil!" she said slapping his arm "Gross!"

"I was going to say don't tell me your sister went along with it. Because I know AJ Styles is not your type" Punk said to her honestly

"Actually as he was making his pitch to me and my sister when a certain blonde haired asshole walked by us and called him a child predator" she laughed at the memory

"Me?" Punk asked pointing at himself and she nodded

"Yea and he must have really hated you because that dig pissed him off even though I'm sure you could have said worse. He stormed off right after" AJ said to him

"Look at me" Punk said proudly "I was keeping men away from you even before I knew you"

"What was your issue with him by the way?" she asked him

"We just clashed" Punk shrugged "And I thought he was a pervert" he shrugged simply "Not much of a back story."

"See you may have insulted me at one point but you also sort of had my back" AJ said to him hoping this would ease his guilt over the dog comment

"How come you never told me this story?" Punk asked

"Because I forgot about it honestly" AJ admitted "It just popped into my head when I was thinking about the Kenz comment"

"You want to know why I made that horrible comment to you back then?" Punk asked and she nodded "Because I was miserable. The only good thing about being with Amy was hanging out with Kenz"

"You were with her such a long time though" AJ reminded him

"I grew comfortable but the truth was she was always so afraid of losing me she didn't even challenge me. She followed everywhere I went, did everything I wanted, she dropped her friends and became friends with my friends. It as kind of like I was dating a mellow version of myself. I don't even think she liked half the crap I was into" he admitted

"I follow you everywhere and I consider your friends my friends" AJ pointed out

"You challenge me" Punk said to her seriously

"I do not" AJ defended

"Believe me you're a challenge" Punk said again " And my friends are the ones attaching themselves to you not the other way around. You're your own person and you've never tried to change to appease me"

"We are kind of similar though" AJ admitted "We're both nuts about games and comics"

"Yes you are my hot little nerd wife but the difference is you're genuinely interested in those things you're not pretending" Punk pointed out "I don't think I could ever get bored of you"

"Well just in case I'll have to keep you on your toes" AJ said to him simply

"I'm constantly on my toes" Punk groaned annoyed

"Oh please" AJ snorted standing up having enough of being in the hot tub "You haven't seen anything yet" she warned stepping out of the tub completely nude still

"Babe your robe" He said pointing to it so she would cover up

"No one is going to see me on the roof" AJ said grabbing a towel and patting herself down

"There are building nearby" he said pointing to it "Just put it-" he started but she just laughed and bent over giving him a perfect view as she picked up the robe and held it in her hand

"I'm going to bed" she informed him "Thanks for tonight it was amazing you should stay in and let your back rest more" she said to him before heading inside still not dressed

"Always on my toes" he muttered watching her disappear out of his sight


	55. The Black Widow

**Chapter 55: The Black Widow**

* * *

When Punk and AJ arrived at Raw she found out she was getting a chance to wrestle tonight. It was the first time she'd be in the ring since before the kidnapping so she was nervous and excited. It was very left field but Celeste was supposed to be wrestling Trinity who ended up getting hurt. She quickly changed and began to warm up, she didn't want to embarrass Celeste or hurt herself for that matter.

"What are you doing?" Seth asked approaching her in the back area

"Stretching" She muttered. Her leg was extended onto a crate and she was rubbing her thigh

"Looks like you hurt yourself" Seth smirked

"I did not!" AJ hissed "And don't say that too loud"

"What happened April?" Seth asked with sigh putting down his drink and phone

"I pulled something while stretching it will be fine" AJ said to him

"You need to take it easy" Seth reminded her "This is the first time you're wrestling in a long time"

"I know this Colby" She spat

"Oh wow full naming me" he smirked "Where does it hurt?"

"Right here" she said grabbing at her upper thigh. Seth didn't say a word he just walked over and replaced her hands with his own

"I can feel it" Seth said to her as he massaged her upper thigh for her

"Ow!" She shouted "It really hurts"

"It's fine it's just a knot" Seth said rubbing down harder

"Oh god stop" she moaned in pain

"AJ-" Seth started but felt someone yank him away. AJ could literally die upon seeing Phil standing there.

"I pulled something" AJ said quickly to Phil who turned to look at Seth

"It was totally innocent man" Seth said with a laugh "I was just helping her out" Punk was trying his best to bite his tongue and looked up at the ceiling.

"Go to the trainer" Punk instructed his wife

"I don't think that's necessary" AJ said to him but Punk didn't respond and just eyed her "Ok off I go" she said with a nervous laugh "Coming with me?" she asked hobbling slightly

"I'll meet you there" Punk said to her.

"Please don't do anything" she whispered as she limped past Punk and then gave Seth a sympathetic smile as she passed him

"I know what that looked like" Seth laughed once AJ was gone "But I have a girlfriend and AJ is just a friend"

"Oh I know she's just a friend" Punk shot at him "But she was more than that at one point"

"She was into you" Seth said to him "Trust me"

"So you took advantage of her a year ago because she was missing me?" Punk asked and now he was twisting Seth's words

"No we just took care of each other" Seth defended "AJ and I have known each other a lot longer than you have known either of us. She's a good friend and that's all. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable right now but I wasn't going to leave her in pain. Besides it's not her who has the bad cheating history I think your insecurities are being directed in the wrong place"

"Damn look at you" Punk smirked sarcastically "You know your stuff"

"I don't want to see my friend get hurt that's all" Seth said to him

"The only one who will be getting hurt is you- if I ever catch your hands on my wife like that again" Punk threatened "And because she considers you a friend I'm going to let this go for now"

"She pulled a muscle!" Seth laughed "What did you want me to do? Step over her and leave her alone?"

"Take her to a trainer" Punk responded

"She's crazy about you" Seth said to him bluntly "She's loved you for a long time and when she was in FCW you're all she could think and talk about it."

"Is there a point?" Punk asked annoyed

"Yea this little scene you're causing isn't just for show." Seth said to him honestly "She deserves a guy who's as crazy about her as she is about him"

"Trust me this is not a show" Punk warned "I catch your hands on her ever again I am going to beat you down" he then stormed past Seth and headed to find AJ

* * *

Punk entered the trainers office and AJ was icing her thigh

"You ok?" Punk asked

"Yea I'll be fine by the time of my match" AJ told him "Please tell me you didn't overreact"

"I never overreact" Punk told her seriously and even the doctor in the office snickered slightly "Seriously it's fine your boyfriend is in one piece"

"He's not my boyfriend" AJ reminded him

"He sure acts like it" Punk said to her causing her to roll her eyes

"Do I have to tell you the story again?" AJ asked him in a whisper

"No please don't" Punk said quickly making a disgusted face "I've spent the last three days trying to get the image of Seth Rollins banging my wife out of my head"

"You know I hate to bring up the fact that you kissed another woman while we were married and you're acting worse then I did" AJ said to him

"I'm not as understanding as you" Punk said simply "I don't like other men touching you sorry"

"What is going on?" Paul Heyman asked entering the trainers office "Are you ok?" he asked AJ

"Yea I pulled something but I'm fine and I'll be good to go tonight" AJ assured him and Paul smiled

"I'm going out there with you tonight kid" Paul told her happily

"Oh good. Maybe I won't be too nervous now" AJ said to him

"Nothing to be nervous about" Paul said with a smile then looked towards Punk "Who pissed you off?" he asked his friend

"Seth Rollins" AJ told him and Paul just nodded

"It was a long time ago" Paul defended as Punk looked towards him

"You knew about them?" Punk asked him

"Of course" Paul said to him "AJ was living in my house"

"And you neglected to tell me why?" Punk demanded as AJ just rolled her eyes

"Because it wasn't your business" Paul told him honestly "You were having your own fun you two weren't together. Get over it" he said simply "Clearly you're the winner of the story since she's wearing your wedding band"

"He's right" AJ said to him "Let it go and apologize to Seth for whatever you said to him"

"I'll let it go but I'm certainly not apologizing" Punk scoffed "The only man who should be touching you there is me or a trained professional"

"He is still so possessive" Paul chuckled

"And jealous" AJ added

"Not jealous" Punk said to her "Possessive yes" he agreed with Paul

"Well could my ridiculously possessive and not at all jealous husband help me back to the locker room?" AJ asked looking up at him

"Yea" Punk said extending his hand to hers and helped her hop off of the bed

"Maybe you could help her stretch out" Paul suggested with a cheeky grin "I promise to knock before I enter" he teased

* * *

It was half an hour before AJ was set to go on. She met with Celeste the had her hair and makeup done before meeting Punk back at the locker room.

"How do I look?" she asked sporting her short jean shorts, a black skull tank top and the newest edition- pigtails

"Pigtails?" Punk asked arching a brow "How very Harley Quinn of you"

"That's what I was going for" she said happily "See I'm even rocking the red lip gloss"

"I see, I like" he said eyeing her fondly

"Do you?" she asked twirling one of her pigtails in her finger innocently and he just nodded

"How's your thigh?" Punk asked looking at her bronzed thigh that was showing perfectly

"It's good, want to check yourself?" AJ asked innocently as she placed her leg on the table bending it slightly. Punk simply walked over there and placed his hand where Seth's was "It was right there" she said to him

"Feels tense" Punk said rubbing the spot

"A little" She said to him "See it wasn't a big deal" she said to him but he just ignored her and moved his hand up and massaged further until he couldn't move any further "Ok you hit the spot"

"Yea? Are you sure that's the only tense spot?" Punk asked seriously as he crept his hand in her most intimate spot

"No Phil" She said rolling her eyes as he massaged he through her jean shorts

"I'm just warming you up" Punks said innocently

"This is not fair" she pouted "I don't have time"

"You have time" Punk grinned as he increases the pressure and used his other hand to unbutton her shorts

"No you're going to mess up my hair and makeup" She warned. But her body moved against his hand

"I'll be good I promise" he said in a cool voice

"Hey AJ!" Celeste said stepping into the locker room "Oh crap!" She shouted covering her eyes and Punk quickly pulled his hand away while AJ buttoned her shorts "Sorry"

"It's ok" AJ said to her

"I just wanted to let you know they bumped us up" She with her eyes still covered "We're going out now"

"Ok I'll be right here" AJ said to her

"Right…hey Phil!" she said quickly then ran out of the room

"You are so bad" AJ hissed at Phil as she collected herself "And now my concentration is all messed up!"

"Sorry" he said with a smirk as he followed her out the door and towards the gorilla

"You all set kid?" Paul asked joining them

"You'll be great" Punk assured her

"Yea I'm ready" She said feeling jittery but Punk pulled her into a deep kiss and she could feel herself start to calm down.

"You look hot and you'll do great" he said when he pulled away

"You do look hot" Paul agreed eyeing her from head to toe "Harley Quinn?"

"Actually yes" AJ said with a smile

"I'll be watching" he said to her giving her one last quick kiss before her music hit

Punk watched from a monitor in the back and he was impressed by how AJ showed zero ring rust. She was all over the place and Celeste was really putting over AJ. But what really surprised him was when AJ locked in a submission move- one he had never seen her use. Her finishing move was the shinning wizard up until now. She locked on the octopus stretch and Celeste quickly tapped. Punk wasn't expecting AJ to win and the fact that she got a win over the Diva's champion put her right in the championship running. He smiled when she had her arm raised in victory, he could tell she was holding back tears. This is all she ever wanted.

"She looked good out there" Hunter said coming up behind Punk who nodded

"I didn't know she was going to win" Punk said to him

"Really? She was so excited when we told her" Hunter said to her "I guess she wanted to surprise you"

"Now tell me you're doing this because she's good and not because you're looking to capitalize on her past" Punk said to Hunter

"She's good" Hunter said seriously "Celeste isn't cracking it as Champion. Don't get me wrong I like Celeste but AJ has something. She can work the crowd, talk on the mic and wrestle like a ten year vet. She's going to be our girl"

"She deserves it" Punk said seriously that's when AJ came skipping to the back with Paul in toe

"Did you see?" she asked excitedly

"I did" Punk confirmed "You were amazing"

"She really was" Paul confirmed with a gleeful smile

"You didn't tell me you were going to win" Punk said and she just shrugged

"Were you surprised?" she asked him

"Yes I was" Punk smirked "And that move was great. When did you learn that?"

"Seth taught me" AJ told him causally and watched his face drop "I'm kidding!" she giggled

"Not funny" Punk said seriously

"I used to use it all of the time in FCW" AJ said to him

"And now I'm really supposed to believe that Seth didn't teach you that?" Punk asked seriously

"No he didn't but if you play your cards right maybe I'll lock it on you later" She teased with a wink then walked away

"You can practice on me AJ!" Paul shouted as she walked away and Punk turned to glare at him "She's hot sorry" he mumbled then walked away from Punk

* * *

Punk and AJ were on the bus as it traveled to the next city. She was playing games while he was going through his phone.

"Here look at this one" Punk said getting her attention and she paused her game

"It's beautiful" she said looking at a picture of a house

"And it's in a gated community" He said to her "They have a ton of security"

"I thought we were moving because we wanted a family" AJ said to him "Not because we're running scared of Christian"

"We're not running scared but sue me if I want extra security" Punk said to her simply "And when we have children I definitely want them safe"

"I don't think Christian is going to be a problem that far down the line" she said to him

"I'm not taking any chances" Punk told her seriously

"You know what would be great for protection?" AJ asked "A dog"

"I told you I'd get you a dog" Punk groaned

"I want one now" she pouted

"We don't have the room for one" Punk argued

"Yes we do!" She argued back "We have plenty of room"

"I'll look into it" He muttered looking back down at his phone trying to avoid her gaze because he knew he'd crack "No tiny little dogs with dresses either" he warned "I want a real dog"

"I'm partial to any kind of dog" AJ assured him happily "You're the best" she said walking over to him and kissing his cheek

"I didn't say yes AJ" he reminded her "I said I'd look into it"

"I know you pretty well and there is no way you'd disappoint me if you could help it" she said sweetly and he just rolled his eyes. He did not want to have to worry about a dog right now but AJ wasn't giving him a choice.

"If I agree to look at dogs you have to look at these photos of houses" Punk said passing her the phone

"Fine but you can't tell much by a photo" AJ said to him as looked through the picture messages from the realtor

"These are photos of places we're going to look at on Wednesday" Punk informed her

"Ok" she said to him simply flicking through the phone "I like this one" she said passing back the phone to him

"This is a picture of me…in our house" Punk said annoyed

"That's why I like it" She smirked "As long as you're in the house I'll be fine with anything"

"This is going to be our home for a very long time I'd like you to have some input" he said to her

"And you'll get it once I'm physical there" she said to him "I'm not picking out a home via text message photos"

"Fine" he said simply

* * *

The next night Punk and AJ arrived hand in hand for Smackdown. She didn't wrestle but accompanied Punk out for his match along with Paul. After the show AJ, Punk, Kofi and Paul all went out to eat a local diner.

"There is no way you beat GTA in one day" Kofi laughed at AJ

"I did" She said smugly "Tell him babe" she said to Punk

"It's true" Punk smirked.

"That is such…" Kofi began rambling off to Punk while AJ looked across the diner. She caught the eye of a man sitting at the counter and once they made eye contact he turned his back and sipped his coffee

"Zoned out on us?" Punk asked nudging his wife

"That guy" she whispered to him nodding towards the man. Punk looked over at the same time the man was turning his head

"What about him?" Punk asked as the man threw some money on the counter and rushed out of the diner

"He works for Christian" AJ said to him

"Are you sure?" Paul asked

"Yea I remember the tattoo on his hand" she said to him and Punk stood up but couldn't get far since AJ was sitting on the outside of booth

"AJ move" Punk said and she quickly stood up to let him get by.

"Can you go with him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?" AJ aksed Paul who also stood up

"Of course" Paul said walking out after Punk who was now jogging towards the man

"Hey!" Punk yelled picking up his pace towards the man but he kept his head down and reached for his car "I'm talking to you!" Punk shouted as he reached the man and grabbed him by the back of his shirt

"Back off!" the man yelled pulling out a switchblade. Punk held his arms up and looked at the knife

"I imagined all of Christian Scott's men carried guns" Punk said to him simply

"I prefer knives" he said with a shrug "Step back three feet" he warned Punk

"Punk" Paul said approaching

"Stay back Paul" Punk warned

"What the hell is going on?" Paul demanded

"Stop following my wife around" Punk told him

"I have my orders man sorry" the man said simply "I personally think it's a waste of time but at the end of the day you don't sign my paychecks"

"Either does Christian" Punk countered

"Well someone signs them" the man smirked

"What do you want from us?" Punk asked annoyed "Isn't it time to move past all of this it's over"

"It's not over" the man informed him "I'm just one of many. Do you have any idea how much power that man holds in prison alone? It's insane"

"How many people are watching my wife?" Punk asked him

"I don't have to answer your questions" the man scoffed "But she's never alone if that helps at all" he said to him

"Stop following my wife" Punk demanded taking a step forward

"Stop" Paul warned holding Punk back "He has a knife"

"He's right" the man said "I'll kill you before you get one hit then where would that leave your pretty wife?"

"Don't" Paul warned pushing Punk away from the man. Punk looked ready to take down the man. Christian's work got into his car and drove off.

"What happened?" AJ asked walking over with Kofi right behind her

"That lunatic had a knife!" Paul said clearly very bothered by the encounter

"Oh my god, are you ok?" she asked inspecting Punk

"I'm fine" Punk said pulling away from her "And we're moving sooner rather than later" he said seriously then headed towards the bus

"He's pissed" Kofi noted as Punk banged on the bus door so the driver would let him on

"Crap" AJ muttered "It's a six hour ride to Chicago- you guys want to join?"

"That's ok" Paul laughed "He'll be fine. He was caught a little cut off guard tonight that's all-"

"AJ are you coming or not!?" Punk shouted sticking his head off the bus from the door

"Good luck" Kofi smirked

"Thanks" she smirked heading towards the bus. It was going to be a very long bus ride….


	56. Louie

**Chapter 56: Louie**

* * *

Punk was on edge the entire ride back home he didn't go into great detail but he did tell her she was still being watched and he was now mad by the fact that she didn't seem care.

"I just don't get you" Punk said to his wife who was fast asleep in bed. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at the time, it was only 8 in the morning and they had gotten home at 3. "How are you not more bothered by this?"

"I told you last night I've gotten used to it" AJ said to him closing her eyes again "Go to sleep"

"I can't sleep, I don't think I'm going to ever sleep again as a matter of fact" Punk said to her

"They're not going to hurt me" AJ yawned "They're just watching me and reporting back to him"

"How is this not driving you crazy!" He yelled

"Because he did it while we were dating as well. I told you I've grown accustom to it" AJ said to him

"He pulled a knife on me AJ" Punk said to him "Call me crazy but men watching you who carry knives makes me nervous"

"Please get some sleep" She said rolling over to look at him "We're safe here"

"No we're not." Punk said to her "We'll be safe in a nice gate community, unless…"

"Unless what?" AJ asked him slowly opening her eyes

"You've changed your mind about my other suggestion" he smirked

"No you can not lock me up in a room" AJ said seriously

"You make it sound bad" Punk defended

"Baby I love you and I love that you're worried about me" she smiled sweetly "but if you don't let me sleep I'm going to smother you with a pillow" she warned in the same sweet voice

"I can't sleep" he said getting out of the bed

"Come back to bed" She insisted "You're exhausted" she said as she watched him throw on a t-shirt and reach for his sneakers "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go inspect around the house and make sure there's now weirdo's out there" Punk said to her as he tied his shoes

"Babe please come back to bed" AJ pleaded lightly lifting her head "Don't go crazy"

"I'll come to bed" Punk promised "As soon as I have a look around" then he walked out of the room. It was the fifth time since they had been home he looked around the property. Maybe moving wasn't such a bad idea…

AJ had tried to fall back asleep but couldn't since Punk never came back and joined her. She walked down the steps and saw everything was locked up then headed down to the gym. She could hear the music from his headphones as she approached him.

"Phil!" she said loudly but his back was to her and his music was blasting. She groaned in annoyance and walked behind him and tapped his shoulder. Obviously she startled him and when he turned around his arm swung into her unsuspecting face

"Fuck!" Punk yelled pulling off his headphones "I am so sorry" he said kneeling over to check on her

"It's ok" she said quickly holding her face

"Let me see" he said moving her hands away

"Shit" he muttered noticing her cheek and bloody lip "I'm sorry babe I had no idea it was you"

"I know, I know" she said quickly "I'm going to go ice my face-"

"Let me help" He insisted

"It's fine Phil" She said to him with a sigh "But you really need to get some sleep" she turned and headed up the stairs leaving him alone. If he were capable of kicking himself in the face he would have.

* * *

When Punk came back up the stairs AJ was sitting at the counter with a bag of peas over her face.

"I have real icepacks" Punk said opening the freezer and taking one out to replace the bag of frozen vegetable "I am so sorry AJ" he said again

"I shouldn't have snuck up on you" AJ said as he placed the bag over her face and held it there for her

"Fuck" he muttered looking at her face "You're going to have a black eye and a fat lip"

"Well if people ask I'll just tell them I fell down the steps or something" she said to him

"Great so you'll sound and look like a battered wife" Punk muttered "How about you hit me back?"

"I'm not going to hit you" AJ smirked

"It would make me feel better" Punk insisted "Just hit me"

"I'm not going to hit you!" she repeated laughing "It was an accident relax. But I will tell you this you're a lot stronger than you look"

"Yea…wait what?" Punk asked slightly insulted

"Hey you're back" Cliff said entering the kitchen with Colt

"It's amazing you've never hit one of them who are always surprising you at home" AJ mumbled

"What happened sweetie?" Cliff asked rushing to AJ's side

"Phil hit me" AJ said simply and both men were in shock "It was an accident" she added after a moment

"You bastard" Cliff spat at Punk who rolled his eyes

"I thought she was you" Punk shot at his friend

"Damn" Colt said walking over and looking at her face "Take off the icepack let's see the damage"

"No she's keeping it on" Punk said still holding the pack "You two can go"

"I thought we were going house hunting" Cliff pouted

"No AJ and I are going" Punk said annoyed

"Do you want me to hit him for you?" Colt offered

"I'll do it!" Cliff volunteered right after Colt

"You both can hit me" Punk said to them

"Really?" Cliff asked with a smile

"No!" AJ said to them "No one is touching his perfect face"

"But look what he did to yours" Cliff frowned "Even though I'm sure you're still as beautiful as ever"

"Thanks Cliff" AJ said to him kindly

"Yea thanks Cliff" Punk said annoyed

"So why did you hit her?" Colt asked him

"I didn't mean to hit her!" Punk yelled annoyed "I would never hit a woman let alone my wife- ever"

"Woah calm down crazy" Colt said quickly "I just meant how did it happen"

"He had his headphones on down in the gym and I came up behind him" AJ told them

"Who else would it have been?" Cliff asked with a laugh

"I don't know someone who works for the psychopath that's been stalking my wife for a year now?" Punk mocked

"AJ doesn't smell like a guy" Cliff told him casually as Punk just eyed him "You didn't smell her? I could smell her heavenly scent from a mile away"

"I really hate him" Punk said looking towards AJ who just offered him a smile

"Why would you think one of Christian's guys were here anyway?" Colt asked

"Because one of them pulled a knife on Phil last night" AJ told them simply alarming both of them

"What?" Cliff asked Punk "What the hell happened?"

"I'm going to go upstairs and try to cover my face before we go out" AJ said jumping off the stool and taking the icepack from Punk and walking away

"Dude what the hell happened?" Colt asked seriously

"There was guy in the diner we were eating in last night AJ said he worked for Christian, I confronted him or at least tried to and he pulled a knife" Punk told them

"Holy shit I thought this was over" Cliff said in shock

"No it's not" Punk said annoyed "It's never going to be over until he's either moved on to someone knew to obsess over, dead or runs out of money"

"But he's in prison" Colt said to him

"He practically runs the prison I'm sure" Punk mocked "Did you do what I asked you to do by the way?"

"Yea, yea I called the shelter" Cliff told him "They have exactly what you're looking for in the shelter on 45th street. I called ahead and they're expecting you both"

"Great thanks" Punk said to him

"So you're cracking on the dog thing already?" Colt teased with a laugh

"Yea and if I didn't I would have today after punching her in the face" Punk groaned "Now I need to top the dog with something like a house. Every time I think I've made something up to her I always do something else equally as stupid" Punk groaned annoyed

"It was an accident relax" Colt laughed

"I'm on edge because of this guy and I knocked out my wife" Punk shot at him

"Her poor beautiful angelic face" Cliff said seriously shaking his head in disapproval

* * *

Punk and AJ left the house an hour later and were set to house hunt.

"I think this would be a lot more exciting if we were on a house hunting show on TLC" AJ said to him as they drove

"Yea that's not happening" Punk said glancing over to her and slightly cringed upon seeing her face

"It's not bad" AJ said to him and she was right, her lip was a little swollen and her eye was sporting a nice shiner but it wasn't that bad

"It's bad enough" Punk remarked placing his eyes back on the road

"Where are we?" she asked seeing him pull over downtown

"We're here" he said simply taking his keys out of the ignition

"These are all shops" AJ said looking around

"Come on" he said getting out of the car and walking over to her side to help her out of her seat. He grabbed her hand and led her towards an animal shelter

"I hope this isn't a joke" she warned with a big smile noticing where they were headed

"You think I would tease you after punching you earlier?" Punk asked her

"I hope you're not doing this because of that" AJ said to him "We can wait on a dog if you want"

"I actually already had this planned out" Punk told her

"Really?" she asked excitedly as he opened the door for her

"I know you're big on letting a dog pick you but there's one dog here I want you to meet you first" Punk said to her "You don't have to pick him though"

"You really did look into this" AJ said in admiring voice

"I did" Punk confirmed. "Wait here" he said as he walked over to the man behind the counter and spoke to him for a few minutes. "Come on AJ" he said waving her over.

The man led them into the back and they passed all sorts of dogs in crates and it nearly broke AJ's heart.

"Look at all these poor dogs" AJ said taking Punk's hand into her own

"They're all pretty young" the worker told them "I guarantee they'll all get good homes. People aren't big of older dogs"

"Well people are stupid" AJ responded bitterly and the older man chuckled

"Your husband told me you guys wanted a big dog, one that will protect you" the man said stopping in front of a larger crate "This here is Louie." He said with a wide smile

"Hi Louie" AJ smiled kneeling down in front of the crate and sticking her hand in

"He was a search and rescue dog with the FBI actually for a few years" the man informed her

"How old is he?" AJ asked as the dog sniffed her hand

"He's 3" the man said to her "But he has some knee issues which made him a little too slow for work. But he's a remarkable dog and trained as well"

"Trained to go to the bathroom outside?" Punk clarified and the man laughed

"He would use your toilet if you told him to" the man smirked "He's brilliant"

"What kind of dog is he?" Punk asked the man

"He's a Shepherd right?" AJ asked looking up at the man

"Pure breed German Shepherd" the man confirmed "He likes you" the man noted as Louie licked AJ's hand "He's usually a little more standoffish with strangers"

"She has a great vibe" Punk smirked watching AJ interact with the dog

"I can't believe he's still here" AJ said to them but kept her eyes on the dog

"A lot of people want dogs now a days as fashion accessories you can't exactly squeeze Louie into a purse" he told her

"Can we get him?" AJ asked looking up at Punk

"Are you sure?" Punk asked her "You didn't really-"

"I want him" she said in a serious voice

"Ok than" Punk said to her "Yea we can take him"

"I think he's going to make a fine addition to your home" The man said to him "Follow me so we can fill out the paperwork"

* * *

Punk and AJ headed home with Louie and she was thrilled. If he had known how happy she would be with a dog he would have gotten her one a long time ago. Before arriving home they picked up everything they needed for the new addition.

"He doesn't even need a leash" AJ said to him as they entered the house "He's the best dog ever"

"Yea too bad he's not trained to carry bags" Punk muttered trying to juggle all of the bags and the massive bed for the dog. He placed the bed in the living room by the door

"That's not staying there" AJ said to him

"What? Why not?" Punk asked

"He can't sleep on the floor like some kind of-" AJ started

"-animal?" Punk finished for her "He is an animal and he's going to guard this door" he said proudly

"He's family now" AJ reminded him "And he will be treated as such"

"Ok but he's sleeping down here" Punk said to her but she just frowned "No AJ he's way too big for our room"

"Well maybe in our new house we can get a bigger room" AJ suggested "So speaking of that are we not house hunting?"

"Oh we are but that's tomorrow" Punk said to her as he watched her pet the dog that seemed very receptive to AJ "I wanted to make sure we did this first. I know you really wanted a dog"

"You made me so happy today" she said simply and those were the words he needed to hear "I mean you always do but this really…I can't thank you enough"

"You don't have to thank me" Punk smirked walking towards and petting the dog "I kind of like him. He's scary too, I like that but he should have a tougher name"

"No way his name his Louie" AJ said kissing the dog "Tell him Louie" she said to the dog who barked right at Punk

"Hey we're both boys we're supposed to be on a team" Punk said lightly scolding the dog

"He's team AJ" AJ told him proudly "And so are you actually so shush" she smirked

* * *

The next day Punk and AJ went house hunting together and met up with his realtor.

"What do you think of this place?" Punk asked her as they checked out the third house

"I like it" she said simply. She was holding Louie's leash. Punk didn't want to bring him but AJ insisted this was going to be his home too and had to join them

"You said that about the last two places" Punk groaned

"I'm not picky" she defended lightly "You know me, I don't need anything fancy. I want something with a lot of protection so you can sleep at night and stop hitting me" she said with a smirk. The realtor turned and looked at them with an odd face

"It was an accident" Punk said with a nervous laugh then looked towards AJ

"Sorry" she giggled "These houses are just too close together. I don't want to get to know my neighbors"

"You and I think alike" Punk laughed

"I have one more place I'd like to show you both" The realtor said to them "It's nearby Thatcher woods. It's very secluded and has a great view of the lake"

"That's close to the airport right?" Punk asked and she nodded

"That's perfect" AJ said to him

"Plenty of room for little Louie and you two can have the privacy you'd like" The realtor told them "I didn't mention it before because I know you wanted more of a community that had security but you can always add security"

"You've always wanted a secluded house in the woods" AJ said to Punk

"Yea but I'd rather have better security" Punk said to her

"Let's just look" AJ suggested

"Ok" Punk sighed and they left the house

Once they arrived to then new house AJ could see Punk's face light up slightly. It's what he always wanted. Deep in the woods and private. The single road to the house was about five minutes alone it was truly in the middle of nowhere. Once they got out of the car Louie began to run off leash around the wooded area but didn't venture far from AJ.

"This is pretty great" AJ smiled wrapping her arm around Punk's

"It's not safe" he said trying not to get to excited

"Who would ever find us here?" AJ asked "Besides we can get a security system put in- top of the line"

"I don't know AJ" He said standing outside the large home that had more of a tree-house feel

"Let's look inside" AJ suggested

Once they looked around the home it was everything they wanted. It was big but not tremendous, they had enough room for a gym and extra bedrooms for when they started a family. There was no pool like AJ wanted but the lake was right there and she was happy with that. The land was absolutely beautiful and it was everything Punk had ever wanted. He loved the City but living away from it all was something he had dreamt about for a while now.

"Can we put an offer in?" AJ asked the realtor once the tour was done

"AJ wait" Punk said pulling her aside "We can't live here'

"Yes we can" she said "Isn't this what you had always wanted?"

"It was before I met you. Now what I want is for you to be safe" Punk said "Living in the woods away from civilization isn't safe"

"Anywhere we go I'll be watched at least we'd be happy here" she said with a smile

"This isn't your dream" Punk reminded her

"I love this" she insisted "And besides I want what you want and being here with you would make me very happy and more importantly Louie loves it here"

"I don't know" he said hesitantly

"Could you imagine our children growing up here? Without the fear of them running into the streets, you can build them a tree-house out here and we can swim in the lake" she said with a smile as she envisioned it all in her head "And there's plenty of room in the back for a hot-tub" she said to him

"Are you sure?" Punk asked her

"Yes!" she said kissing him "This is our home I can feel it"

"We're going to need a lot more security even if that means hiring someone-" Punk started but AJ cut him off with another kiss

"Let's just get the house and worry about the details later" she insisted

"So do you two want to make an offer?" the realtor asked hopefully before Punk could respond Louie barked

"You heard the dog" Punk said seriously "Let's do it"


	57. Guard Dog

**Chapter 57: Guard Dog**

* * *

Punk and AJ put an offer on their new home and a month later they were moving in. Punk was still iffy on the security but he put in a top of the line security system that required a security officer to inspect the home and grounds three times a day.

"Where do you want this?" Cliff asked holding a box in his arms. Him and Colt among others were enlisted to help on the move

"What is it?" AJ asked pulling dishes out of a box

"Toys" Cliff said with an eye-roll

"What kind of toys?" she asked simply

"Really? How many toys do you and Punk have?" Cliff questioned

"A lot" she confirmed. "If they're in the box they're special and get put on display in the living room if they're out of the box they go in the media room"

"Can't you just put them all in a toy chest?" Cliff mocked

"How dare you Cliff" AJ said seriously

"They're out of the box so…media room" he said turning around and walking away

"I didn't think we had this much crap" Punk said to her

"Yea how did we even fit all of this stuff in our old place?" AJ asked

"No idea" Punk muttered looking around the large kitchen that was covered in boxes

"We could have just hired people to help us unpack" she reminded him "We'll never finish before we have to get on the road again"

"No I don't want strange people in this house" Punk said firmly "I'm still not happy with the security"

"There's cameras everywhere outside!" She laughed "And you have a security guard checking on the house three times a day what more could you ask for?"

"A security guard here at all times" Punk said to her

"We're fine here" She said with a sigh walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist "Everything is perfect just try to enjoy it"

"There's just something about being in the middle of nowhere that makes me feel uneasy" Punk said to her honestly

"This is our first night in our new home and I don't want it tainted with bad feelings" She warned kissing his lips. She didn't pull away and Punk deepened the kiss and before she knew it her tongue was battling with his for dominance. His hands crept down to her butt and gave it a firm squeeze before pulling her into him.

"Come on" Colt muttered annoyed and the two slowly pulled away "You have us working like dogs and you two are going at it in the kitchen"

"We needed a break" Punk smirked

"From all the pointing and orders you both are giving?" Colt asked dropping a box on the floor

"He's tired" AJ defended "Look at the bags under his eyes"

"Poor baby" Colt mocked "If only he had a hot wife to tire him out"

"Oh I'll tire him out alright" AJ said smugly before Punk could respond "As soon as you and Cliff unpack our bedspread"

"We don't need the bedspread…or the bed" he reasoned as they both continued the conversation casually as if Colt wasn't standing there looking horrified

"That is true, when is the hot tub getting here?" AJ asked

"A few days, it's huge" Punk grinned

"I can't wait we need more space for…well you know" she grinned reaching up to kiss him again

"Hello!" Colt shouted "I'm standing right here!"

"How about you go stand somewhere else?" Punk suggested peering over the top of AJ's head "We're a little busy"

"No, no there is no getting busy while we're here" Colt warned them

"AJ!" Cliff yelled entering the room "Your dog keeps following me around"

"He likes you" AJ smirked as Louie walked towards her and she petted him

"I know this sounds insane but I think he's like watching me…" Cliff said nervously "…like waiting for an excuse to attack me"

"If you're afraid of him he'll sense that" AJ said to him

"I'm not afraid of him or at least I wasn't" Cliff pouted

"Good job Louie" Punk said proudly petting the top of the dog's head "Go bite him" he said nodding towards Cliff

"Phil" AJ scolded "He's just not used to you yet that's all"

"This dog is brilliant" Punk said with a smile "Last week AJ and I took him for a walk and a fan approached us and he went crazy on his leash" he laughed at the memory "I've never seen anyone run that fast"

"Sounds like someone is a bad dog" Cliff said mockingly making a face at Louie

"He is not" AJ scolded "He's just protective of us"

"Yea he's a great dog" Punk said annoyed to Cliff "You're just jealous because AJ gives him more attention then she does to you"

"Please" Cliff snorted "Why do you need a watch dog anyway? You already have Punk who looks, smells and acts like one"

"Bite him" Punk said seriously to Louie as he pointed to Cliff

"Don't!" Cliff warned jumping back

"You're upsetting Louie" AJ pouted "Come on Louie let's go for a walk" she said heading out the door with Louie right next to her

"Are you sure it's safe for her to walk around like that?" Colt asked as they watched AJ leave

"Yea I mean seriously this dog will bite anyone who comes near her. I called the guy we got him from because at first I was worried he would start attacking our friends but he told me dogs can sense when their owners feel uneasy or unsafe and that's when they get defensive" Punk said to them

"That's pretty cool" Colt agreed

"He's mean" Cliff said seriously

"He's not mean he can just sense your bad intentions" Punk scoffed "Now shut up and finish unpacking"

* * *

Later that night Colt and Cliff were long gone and the two were having dinner together in their new home for the first time.

"It is seriously so quiet here I love it" AJ said to him as she placed some dishes in the sink

"It is quiet" Punk agreed

"You like it here right?" AJ asked turning to look at him

"Of course I do this is what I always wanted" he told her "I just hope it was the right decision"

"It is" AJ assured him. After AJ said that Louie who was lying in the kitchen jetted to the front door and started to bark and a moment later the bell rang.

"I love this dog" Punk smirked walking out of the kitchen and to the front door and opened the front door. "Good dog" he said patting the top of Louie's head before he made eye contact with the person outside. It was a young kid holding flowers.

"Floral delivery" the kid said inching away from Louie who was growling

"Oh really?" Punk asked reaching into his pocket to pull out a few buck to tip the kid

"Here you go" he said nervously passing Punk the flowers. Once he closed the door Punk pulled out the card and read the envelope 'April' "Here these are for you" Punk said placing the vase on the table

"Oh who are they from?" AJ asked reaching for the card

"I didn't read the card" Punk said and AJ just eyed him

"I swear" he said quickly "But I am curious"

"It's probably a good luck gift from your sisters or something" she said reading the card

"Well?" Punk asked

"They're from Christian" AJ said reading the card but Punk snatched it from her hands "No Phil don't-" she started but it was too late he was already reading the card

"I would love for you to visit on conjugal day?" Punk asked angered as he read the card "How the hell is he sending you flowers from prison and the better question is how does he know where we are living?"

"He could have had anyone send those" AJ said with a sigh "Don't worry about it"

"Don't worry about it?" Punk asked with a bitter laugh "Are you fucking kidding me? I knew moving here was a shit idea!"

"It isn't!" She promised "He would have known anywhere we moved to"

"I hate this" Punk admitted "I hate that he can still get into our heads"

"He's not in my mine" she told him

"Well he's in mine" Punk said annoyed "I'm calling Claudette in the morning and telling her about this" he said annoyed tossing the card on the counter

"What can she do? She can't control these types of things" AJ sighed

"Well what can she do then?" Punk asked annoyed "I hate him" he said trying to contain his anger

"I know" she said softly

"And the fact that I think he's having a grand time in prison with is little buddies Jack and Pete just makes it all that much worse" Punk said to her "And they'll all be out soon"

"We have some time" AJ assured him "Just let it go for tonight at least please? Louie wants to play catch"

"I'm not leaving you in the house by yourself" Punk laughed

"Right outside" she said pointing out the large window in the kitchen that had a great view of the wooded yard "I'll hang out in the window while I clean up and as soon as I'm done I'll come out too."

"Alright" Punk said then looked down to Louie "You want to go outside and play?" he asked the dog who stood up and headed to the terrace doors that were in the large kitchen

AJ watched from the window as Punk threw the tennis ball and Louie would chase after it and bring it back to him. This was the dream life she had always wanted. A big home, her dream job, the perfect husband and a dog. She decided right then and there that she wasn't going to let Christian take any of her joy away. She reached for her phone and called Detective Williams

"Hi Detective William it's AJ Brooks" she said into the phone "No, no everything is fine…yea that's why I'm calling I wanted to know if I could get a chance to see him this week…I know but he sent me a gift today and I want to see him in person I have a few things I need to get off my chest…I go back to work on Sunday night so anytime before then would be great…thank you so much I'll be in touch- oh and if my husband calls you please don't mention this…thank you" she finished then hung up.

"Hey!" Punk yelled from outside "Come outside with us!" he shouted and she just gave him half smile and headed out the backdoor to join her small family

* * *

About an hour later they headed inside Louie ran for his water dish.

"He's pooped" AJ smirked watching the dog

"I'm pooped" Punk retorted "He gave me quit the workout I don't even need the gym"

"That's a shame" AJ frowned "I was hoping to christen our home tonight"

"Really?" Punk asked intrigued

"Yea but if you're too tired-" she started but he tugged her against his chest and began to kiss her, his hand rested her hips as his fingers curled into her sides.

"We can christen every room" Punk said moving away from her lips and placing her on the counter

"You want to do it here?" AJ asked with a giggle as Punk kissed down her neck and used his hands to unbutton her blouse

"Here, there- everywhere" he muttered against her sun kissed skin

"Mhmm" she moaned enjoying the feeling of his lips. AJ hands wandered to the front of his shorts and tugged them down alone with his boxers

"You're impatient" Punk grinned against her collarbone "I want to have fun first" he teased but then felt her grab his member causing him to hiss out in pleasure

"I want to have fun" she grinned devilishly biting on her lower lip. He rested his head on her shoulder as she stroked him up and down until he felt his muscles start to tighten

"No" he said pulling her hand way and gently eased her down on the countertop so she was lying flat on it, just her legs dangling off of it. He tugged down her leggings and placed a kiss over her panties

"Don't tease" she warned

"You tease me all of the time" Punk smirked

"Phil" She warned sitting up

"April" he mocked as he slid her thong down her slender legs

"Come on baby" she insisted

"I'm not even sure you're ready for me" Punk replied innocently as his fingers teased her folds

"I am" she moaned as she felt him enter a finger inside of her causing her moan loudly

"I'm not too sure" he said seriously then inserted a second finger inside her and she let out a loud gasp. As soon as Punk curled his fingers inside of her she let out another pleasurable moan "Oh Phil-" she started loudly but stopped when she heard Louie growling

"Oh no" Punk mumbled pulling his fingers out quickly. Clearly Louie felt that Punk was hurting AJ "No she likes this" Punk assured the dog who was now crotched in an attack position "Tell him AJ" he said to his wife whose eyes were still lustfully glazed over

"It's ok Louie" she rasped "Don't stop Phil" she said turning back to him trying to get his attention

"He's going to fucking attack me" Punk said nervously as Louie kept his eyes on Punk while AJ ran her hands up and down his chest

"Just ignore him" AJ said pulling him into a kiss but he kept one eye opened and on Louie

"This isn't going to work" Punk said pulling away "I can't do it while he's watching"

"Oh stop" she said seriously as she grabbed his throbbing member "Take me" she said kissing his jaw line. Punk's attention was now back on AJ and Louie was forgotten. AJ wrapped her legs around Punk and tugged him close to her body and entrance "Am I ready yet?" she asked licking over his bottom lip before pulling him into a bruising kiss. He didn't respond instead he reared his hips back just as he was about to enter AJ Louie started barking at him causing him to stop in his tracks

"Fuck!" Punk shouted

"He's just barking" AJ said to him with a forced smile "We're so close…"

"He's going to attack me he thinks I'm hurting you" Punk said pulling away from her and pulling his shorts back up

"No, no where are you going?" AJ asked desperately

"Meet me upstairs" he said to her "And leave him down here" he said. He was more sexually frustrated then she was. "I'm the good one" Punk said pointing at himself "You're a guard dog not a cock block" he warned Louie then headed up the stairs

* * *

The next day AJ had gotten a call from Claudette that she could go see Christian today and now she had to try to figure out a way to sneak away from Phil long enough. She told him she was going to the salon but he insisted on driving her and picking her up. She managed to convince him to let Cliff take her and he was more than eager to agree.

"So where's the salon?" Cliff asked

"We're not going to the salon and I need you to keep this between us" AJ warned Cliff

"Oh no" Cliff mumbled "I already don't like this unless you're about to tell me you want me to rent us a motel room" he teased

"I have to see Christian" AJ told him bluntly and he hit the brakes immediately

"No AJ" Cliff said seriously "I'm turning around-"

"He sent me flowers last night Phil is going crazy I need to tell him to back up" AJ insisted "Don't you hate how he's torturing Phil?"

"Of course and believe me if I could I would kill the guy for everything he's done to Punk and you for that matter but if I take you to see him it's going to be Punk torturing me in a very painful way" Cliff said to her seriously

"We're not going to tell him" AJ said to him

"I know we don't know each other that well but I am a horrible liar" Cliff said seriously "Punk can read me like a book he'll know I betrayed him"

"You're not betraying him you're helping him" AJ said to him "Please?"

"It's a bad idea. Why would he leave you alone anyway?" Cliff asked her "He just wants an excuse to see you"

"I need to do something" AJ sighed "He's not sleeping at night, he's always on edge- he's constantly waiting for something to happen and he shouldn't have to live that way"

"I just think it's a bad idea" Cliff groaned shaking his head "What if you get hurt? Not only will Punk never forgive me but I'll never forgive me"

"Please Cliff you can help Punk and I know you love him like a brother" AJ pleaded "Help me help him" she pouted her bottom lip and widened her brown eyes and Cliff knew he couldn't say no

"He's really going to kill me" Cliff muttered as he started to drive again

"He's not going to know" AJ promised

"Oh he's going to find out someway" Cliff told her seriously "He always finds out and I want you to know I'm putting this all on you because he won't punch you in the face- at least not again but me he won't have any problems doing that"

"You don't even have to say just drop me off and come pick me up this way technically you didn't really know" AJ said to him

"Oh no if I'm taking you I'm seeing this through" Cliff said to her "I just really hope you know what you're doing"

"I'll be fine" she said to him "He's in prison what could happen?"

"This guy is like a mobster AJ" Cliff reminded her "You don't think he has guards working for him? I watch Sons of Anarchy I know the deal"

"I won't even be in there that long" AJ assured him "I'm not even going to give him a chance to speak. I'm going to say what I have to say and then leave"

"Couldn't you have said what you had to say the last time you saw him in the hospital?" Cliff asked "Could have saved me the inevitable beating I'm in for"

"I was too emotional then" AJ said to him "I've given a lot of thought to what I want to say"

"Alright just be careful" Cliff insisted "And if it doesn't feel right get out of there"

"I will thank you Cliff" AJ said kissing his cheek

"I can't even enjoy that because I'm so nervous" Cliff muttered

* * *

** A/N: How will it go with Christian? And how badly will Punk hurt Cliff if he finds out? **


	58. Heartbeat

**Chapter 58: Heartbeat**

* * *

AJ arrived at the prison and gave her name to the officer behind the desk.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Cliff asked

"You can't" AJ said to him "But thanks for offering. You can wait in the car if you'd like, I won't be long"

"Oh no I want to be close" Cliff said to him "Remember what I said- if it feels wrong get out of there."

"I'll be five minutes" she assured him and that's when a male officer stepped out

"April Mendez?" the officer asked

"It's Brooks" AJ corrected

"I already don't like this" Cliff whispered into her ear

"Five minutes" she said forcing a smile then followed the guard further into the prison. They reached a gate and it buzzed leading her down a long hall filled with doors and conference rooms.

"This is it" the guard said opening the door. AJ stepped inside and noticed the bed in the room

"I think you have this mixed up" AJ said with a nervous smile "I just want to talk to him I'm not here for anything else-" she said reaching for the door but the guard blocked her exit

"Mr. Scott would like to see you here" the guard said to her and now she knew this was a bad idea "Take a seat" he said nodding towards the bed

"I want to leave" AJ said in a firm voice "This wasn't a good idea" but the guard didn't budge. A few moments later the door across the room opened and Christian stepped inside. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit but looked pretty together for a man who tried kill himself a month ago.

"April my love" he smiled "I see you got my flowers and took me up on my offer"

"That's not why I'm here" she said trying not to lose her nerve

"So why are you here?" Christian asked softly

"I'm here to ask you- no to tell you to leave me alone" AJ said in a deep voice but he just chuckled "I'm married now I belong to him not you"

"Your body belongs to him and I'll take that back eventually but your mind belongs to me" Christian replied coolly

"My heart belongs to him, it beats for him" AJ informed him "So the flowers and requests have to stop"

"Alright April" Christian said simply

"Really?" she asked surprised

"Sure I'll stop sending you presents and requesting to see you on one condition" Christian said to her "Stay with me"

"Stay with you in prison?" AJ laughed "Even if I wanted to I don't think that's possible"

"Not forever April" He laughed lightly "For right now, for the rest of the visit" he said pointing to the bed "Let me take you to bed"

"I'd rather hang myself from the bed sheet" she spat in a low dangerous voice

"One more time April" Christian encouraged simply "One more time and I'll leave you alone, just let me love you" he whispered inching closer to her

"I want to leave" she said turning to the guard but he just chuckled

"He doesn't listen to you April" Christian laughed "Don't you understand the amount of power I have?"

"I'm not going to sleep with you" AJ informed him and he just smiled "I'm never going to sleep with you again"

"Why is that April?" Christian asked "I know what you pulled with Jack- how you threw yourself at him, he paid for that dearly" he said running his fingers down her cheek until she jerked away "I told you I would make you body mine again and that's going to happen right now"

"I want to get out!" AJ screamed trying to bang on the door but the guard grabbed her by her waist "Somebody help me!" she screamed but the guard placed his hand over her mouth

"She's so fiery" Christian said with a smile "Put her on the bed" he instructed the guard

"Want me to gag her?" the guard asked as AJ tried to fight out of his grasp

"No I like to hear her" Christian said simply as the guard held her down on the bed "Do you have any idea how lonely prison is April? And you're the one that put me here"

"Shit!" the guard yelled yanking his hand away from AJ's mouth "She bit me!"

"My little spitfire" Christian grinned "Do you want a go with him too?" he asked "You've been acting like a filthy whore it's time I treat you like one" he said as he unzipped his jumper

"Somebody help!" She screamed and that's when Christian's moved in. The guard was holding down her two arms while Christian spread her legs

"I wish you would have worn a dress" Christian pouted as he moved his hands over her belt

"Get off of me!" She screamed trying to kick him

"Stop fighting this April I don't want to hurt you that badly" Christian warned then grabbed her face roughly "But I will" he hissed

"I'll never stop fighting" she spat "You'll have to kill me!" she screamed

"Please don't tempt me April" Christian sighed annoyed "What would all of your fans say when they read about you dying in a male prison during a conjugal visit gone wrong?"

"Somebody!" She screamed out as Christian removed her belt and unzipped her jeans

"Turn her over" Christian instructed the guard and within a second AJ was on her stomach "I see my mark is still there" he said running his fingers over the tattoo on her neck "I'm going to leave a few more before we're finished" he promised as his leaned down and kissed the spot on her neck while she continued to scream in hopes of someone hearing her, but she let out a blood curling scream when she felt him bite her- hard. She could feel the blood dripping down her neck onto her shirt and down her back

"Help!" she screamed out again trying to hold back tears as she felt her jeans being tugged down

"You've been working out" Christian grinned happily

"Anybody help!" she screamed out again

"What the hell is going on in here!" a voice shouted "I need help in here!"

"Help me please!" AJ yelled. Everything else was blur as more voices and people ran into the room. AJ curled into the small bed and kept her face covered.

"Mrs. Brooks" Claudette said walking over to her "Are you alright?" she asked placing a sheet over AJ's lower half

"Is he gone?" AJ asked looking at the Detective who offered her a sympathetic smile

"Yes he's gone" Claudette said as AJ sat up and saw the room was filled different guards and watched as the one that held her down was being led out in handcuffs

"He tried to rape me" AJ told her

"I know" Claudette frowned "He's going back to his cell now"

"That guard-" AJ started

"I know that too" Claudette said to her softly "I came here to meet you before you went in you weren't supposed to go in without me and the guards knew that but I saw your friend Cliff waiting for you and I knew something was off"

"How could that guard do that?" AJ asked clearly in shock

"Christian has a lot of money and power- prison guards don't make much money" Claudette shrugged "I'm sorry this happened"

"Nothing happened" she said shaking her head "Nothing happened"

"Do you want to see a doctor?" she asked AJ but she shook her head no

"Your husband is on his way" Claudette told her

"No. He doesn't know I'm here" AJ told her frantically "He's going to know I lied to him and we promised no more lies"

"Your friend called him when I showed up he realized something was wrong" Claudette told her

"I need to fix myself-" AJ started realizing her jeans were still tugged down and she was sure her hair and makeup was a mess

"Just relax" Claudette insisted

"I really just want to get dressed could they leave the room?" AJ asked gesturing to the other men in the room

"Of course" Claudette said to her "Take as much time as you need" she then walked over to the guards and everyone walked out leaving AJ alone in the room.

* * *

Cliff was sitting in a chair by the entrance of the prison he didn't know what happened to AJ but after Claudette went to check in on her this alarm went off and a ton of guards ran down the hall in the direction AJ went. He called Punk because he knew something was wrong, he didn't say much he just told Punk to get to the prison as soon as possible then hung up. He didn't have time to explain it to Punk. About twenty minutes later Punk entered and he looked frantic.

"What the hell is going on? Are you ok?" Punk asked him not even realizing AJ could have been involved in something like this

"I didn't want to bring her here" Cliff started standing up to face Punk

"What are you talking about?" Punk asked him "Are you talking about AJ? I thought you took her to the salon"

"She said she wanted to tell him to leave you alone" Cliff told him slowly and he saw Punk's widen in anger

"Tell me you didn't" Punk warned in a low voice

"She said she'd be fine-" Cliff started

"Where is she?" Punk asked him

"I don't know things went crazy- the alarm went off and people ran down the hall-" Cliff started but Punk tuned and began to look for answers elsewhere

"Hey you!" Punk shouted to the guard behind the desk "Where is my wife"

"Mr. Brooks" Claudette said walking towards him

"Where is she?" Punk asked her

"She's in shock" Claudette said as Cliff stepped next to Punk to listen

"Tell me what happened" Punk said loudly

"She should really tell you but she's ok even though you should get her to a doctor or a hospital" Claudette told him

"Where is she?" he asked in a soft voice

"I know you're angry but you need to check that at the door because your wife needs you right now" Claudette warned him in a low voice

"Just let me see her" Punk said softly

"Follow me" Claudette said waving for Punk to follow her

Punk slowly opened the door to the room AJ was in and all of his anger was washed away upon seeing her. She was sitting in the corner of the room on the floor with her arms holding her legs against her chest. She had been crying and when she looked up at him her eyes started to welt up again.

"I'm sorry" she choked out "I'm so sorry" she almost pleaded. He walked across the room and AJ wasn't sure if he was going to yell or drag her out of there, instead he took her by her surprise and took a seat on the cold floor next to her and let out a breath. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him. He didn't say a word and just tried to comfort her physically.

"Are you ok?" he finally asked after a few minutes

"No" she told him honestly

"Want to tell me about it?" Punk asked her softly

"No" she repeated "Are you mad at me?" she asked looking up at him

"No" he said using the short word she kept giving him "I'm confused AJ, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to tell him to stop" AJ said to him "I thought it would work"

"So what happened? He got out of his cuffs or something? Tried to hurt you?" Punk asked. He was dying to know what happened but didn't want to push her

"He was never even cuffed" AJ said bitterly "It was a setup. He knew I'd come the guard held me here and wouldn't let me out. I felt like a rat in a cage"

"The guard?" Punk asked confused removing his arm from her to look at her and that's when spotted the blood on his arm "Are you bleeding?" he asked turning her around and there was a bloody spot on her neck

"He bit me" AJ told him quietly and he stood up and gently tugged her up by her arm "Where are we going?"

"You're going to get checked out and get a shot or something" Punk said to her

"I don't want to go" she said jerking away and Punk looked at her like she was insane

"AJ you need to get checked out" Punk said seriously "No games, let's go"

"I don't want anyone else touching me" She said to him desperately and now it was starting to piece together to Punk and he felt his face burn red. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke again

"AJ you need to tell me what happened in here" Punk said slowly trying to remain calm

"I said I didn't want to talk about it" she said to him "Can you just take me home?"

"No AJ I can't because you're hurt and you have to get checked out" Punk said "And I'm trying to be the good guy here and be patient but I really need to know what happened"

"If you won't take me home I'll have Cliff take me home" AJ said to him

"Oh no" Punk said to her with a chuckle "No Cliff."

"They didn't rape me, they tried ok" AJ said to him "Happy?" she spat out

"They?" Punk asked "The guard too?"

"Please Phil I want to leave" AJ said to him "You were right I was wrong you can keep me locked up in your bubble room for the rest of my life, ok? Please I just want to get out of here"

"We're leaving and we're stopping at the hospital then I'll take you home because that fucking animal bit you and you don't know what kind of shit he got since being in here" Punk informed her "Then we're going to go home and you're going to go up to bed and watch a marathon of whatever crap show you're into this month, I am going to unpack and bring you dinner and not mention any of this because obviously you're very upset as am I but tomorrow we're going to have to talk- a very long talk about lying to me and dragging my friends into it"

"Fine" she muttered "But can we please go now? I can't be here"

"Ok" Punk said to her

* * *

AJ was waiting for her doctor to arrive back. She refuses to be alone with the doctor so Punk stayed with her while he cleaned her bite mark and took blood and ran some more tests.

"You could have spoken to Cliff" AJ said to him. Before they left the prison Cliff ran over to AJ but Punk just tugged her away and refused to talk to him.

"I could have" Punk agreed "But I didn't and I'm not going to for a while"

"I didn't give him a choice" AJ told him "Don't be mad at him"

"Too late" Punk said simply "I don't want to talk about him either I told you we're not going to discuss any of this until tomorrow. Preferably when I have a cooler head"

"Sorry about the wait" the doctor said stepping in "Could you give us a minute?"

"No" Punk replied simply with his arms folded

"You can talk in front of him" AJ assured the doctor "Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to ask you when you had your last period?" the doctor asked her

"A few weeks ago I don't really remember" AJ said to him "Why?" she asked him

"You're pregnant" the doctor told her "About seven weeks along"

"What?" AJ asked stunned "Phil did you hear that?" she asked looking over to him

"I think I did but I'm having a very confusing day" Punk said to her then looked towards the doctor "Could you repeat that?"

"She's pregnant" he told him then looked at AJ smiled "Congratulations!"

"Are you sure?" AJ asked the doctor

"Yes" he chuckled

"Is everything ok?" AJ asked him "I was kind of…jumped earlier"

"We're going to do a sonogram" the doctor told her "Make sure everything is ok. Did you take any hits to your stomach?"

"No, none" AJ told him

"Ok well I'm going to give you a sheet to cover yourself and you're going to get into this" he said passing her a hospital gown "I'll give you some privacy" he then walked out of the room.

"Phil" she said looking over to him but he was in shock himself "Phil!" she said louder

"You're pregnant?" Punk asked her slowly

"Say something else" She said to him "What are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling…like I have no idea what's going on" he said standing up "I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened to day and now you're pregnant- how did this even happen?" he asked but she just glared at him "I mean I know how it happened- I just don't-'

"Phil" she said grabbing his arm to stop him from pacing "We're having a baby" she said softly

"We're having a baby" he repeated looking into her eyes and she smiled for the first time that day

"We're having a baby" she confirmed

"You're-" Punk started placing a gentle hand over her stomach "my kid is in there"

"Yea" she said with a laugh and he pulled her into a kiss as he cupped her face

"You're making me a dad" he said with a smile

"Congratulations dad" she smiled slightly "Are you ok?" she asked noticing how pale he was

"I'm good" he said to her running his hands over his hair "I'm just- I'm happy"

"I'm happy too" she said softly "Does this get me off the hook for today by any chance?"

"No" he said still smiling "I'm happy not delusional. Are you sure you're ok with this? I mean you were just getting ahead at work"

"I did more than I ever thought and I can always go back" she said to him "I wanted a family with you I told you that months ago. Besides there isn't much I can do about it now" she smirked "I just don't get it I've been so careful with my pills"

"I guess it's just destiny" Punk said to her and she let out a slight laugh

"Destiny? Coming from you that seems weird" AJ said smiling

"Sweetheart what else could it be?" Punk laughed "You would have been working in a few days but you ended up here- the fact that you ended up in my life to begin with-"

"It's been a whirlwind" AJ agreed

* * *

After Punk and AJ had their sonogram they found out their child was healthy. When they got back home Cliff and Colt were both waiting with Louie.

"AJ" Cliff said walking towards her and giving her a hug "I am so sorry"

"It's not your fault I dragged you into this anyway" AJ said to him pulling away

"Bed AJ" Punk said to her. He was excited about the baby but he was still angry about today and seeing Cliff only mad that worse.

"I'm really sorry" she whispered to Cliff before she walked away as Louie followed her up the stairs

"Is she ok?" Cliff asked Punk

"No thanks to you" Punk said to him bitterly "Get out of my house"

"Come on Punk he didn't know" Colt said to him

"You want to go too?" Punk asked Colt

"I couldn't say no to her" Cliff said to him

"You should have!" Punk yelled "Do you know what could have happened to her? What you could have cost her? Or me?"

"You're right" Cliff agreed "I didn't think she'd get hurt"

"Well you were wrong" Punk said coldly "I want you out of my house now before I throw you out" Cliff grabbed his jacket and headed to the door

"For what it's worth I really am sorry" Cliff told him quietly then walked out the door

"That was harsh, no?" Colt asked Punk

"When you're married and your wife is almost gang raped in a prison then you can comment on the situation" Punk shot at him "Until than keep your thoughts to yourself"

"He feels like shit" Colt said to him seriously "He almost cried man"

"Good he should feel that way" Punk said coldly

"AJ is pretty stubborn if she wanted to go she would have found a way regardless" Colt told him "She's not innocent either"

"I know that!" Punk yelled "But I can't exactly yell at the woman who was assaulted a few hours ago"

"Neither of them are guilty" Colt said to him

"He should have known better. He's my brother and he drove my wife off to a place he knew was wrong and knew could have gotten her hurt and it did" Punk said to him "I don't have to defend my feelings to you either so you could go as well"

"Alright" Colt said standing up "I'm not going to argue with you but you really should just talk to him"

"With the way I'm feeling right now talking is the last thing I want to do with Cliff I don't think I can restrain myself anymore today" Punk shot at him

"I hope AJ's ok" Colt said walking to the door "Call me when you've cooled down"

* * *

Punk entered the bedroom and saw AJ lying in bed with Louie loyally laying on the floor at AJ's side of the bed.

"I think he can sense something is off" AJ said to him looking at Louie

"He's smart" Punk said to her

"Are you going to lay with me?" AJ asked

"No" he said simply "I still have some more unpacking to do" he told her "I want to get the kitchen done at least"

"I thought you were over being mad at me" AJ frowned

"AJ I'm thrilled to death" he told her honestly "I'm it doesn't change the fact that I'm pissed off too. You lied to me today and we talked about lying- not only did you but it was an elaborate lie you told me you were going to the salon and obviously you knew what you were doing was wrong or you wouldn't have kept it from me"

"You're right" AJ said to him "I lied and you should be mad at me but not Cliff."

"I don't want to talk about him" Punk said to her "It's not about him it's about you"

"Look I just-" she started

"No AJ" he said cutting her off "I'm not discussing this today I already told you that. You went through something today and I'm not going to argue with you right now. My head is all clouded and I don't want to fly off the handle and upset you anymore than you already have been today. So you're going to stay up here, I'm going to go downstairs and unpack"

"I don't want to be alone" AJ said quietly

"You're not you've got Louie" Punk pointed out

"Please Phil?" she frowned "I was really scared today. We don't have to talk but I just don't want to be alone…stay with us" she said placing her hand over her stomach

"Wow you're good" Punk smirked

"Did it work?" she asked hopefully

"Yea" he said softly. How could he turn that down? He got into the bed and she grabbed his arm as she rolled onto her side and used it almost as a security blanket "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked her softly

"I am now" she said to him as she threaded her fingers with his and guided their hands over her stomach.

* * *

**A/N: Surprised? Feel bad for Cliff? What's next? Is it over finally with Christian? (spoiler alert:no, no it's not)**


	59. Inviting You Back

**Chapter 59: Inviting You Back**

* * *

The next morning AJ opened her eyes and it as dreary rainy day. Most people would hate it but AJ loved it and the fact that they were now leaving in the woods practically it just made it all that more peaceful. She felt Punk's arm around her waist and his hand gently resting over her stomach, it was a reminder that she was pregnant and smiled softly. She had been sick the last couple of mornings but never gave it much thought but now there was an explanation for it all. It wasn't nerves it was just her baby. What woke her was the rumbling in her stomach that was rising to her throat. She sat up quickly and placed her hand over her mouth and jumped out of the bed and ran into the bathroom. She didn't even bother to close the door as reached for the toilet and threw up. She felt Louie behind her watching her cautiously as she flushed the toilet.

"You ok?" Punk asked leaning in the doorway

"Yea I think so" she said standing up and grabbing her toothbrush

"Louie's worried about you" Punk noted "He's not the only one"

"I'm fine" she said brushing her teeth. "Are we going to talk today about everything? Have you had time to cool down yet?"

"I'm not quit at cool but I'm almost there" Punk said to her

"I really think you should talk to Cliff first" AJ said rinsing her mouth out

"I'm not talking to Cliff" Punk informed her

"I made him do it" AJ said to him

"Were you driving? Did you put a gun to his head? No I didn't think so" he said bitterly "I told you yesterday to not worry about him right now I want to know what you were thinking"

"I was thinking about how this is your dream home and you were letting Christian ruin it" AJ said honestly

"And you truly believed if you went there to talk to him in person that you could get him to stop?" Punk asked stunned "After everything you've been through with him you thought that would work?"

"I had to try" AJ sighed "I hated seeing you so miserable"

"I wasn't miserable, I was worried about your safety" Punk told her

"I can take care of myself" AJ reminded him

"Yea you're right" Punk chuckled "You did a great job proving that point yesterday when you locked yourself in a room with Christian Scott. Bravo AJ! You really proved me wrong!"

"How was I supposed to know the guard was working with him?" AJ asked annoyed

"You can't trust him! We've learned that over the past year! You never know who he has on his payroll!" Punk yelled

"I wanted to make you happy!" AJ yelled back "That's all I wanted! Why can't you just see that and let it go?"

"I know your intentions were good" Punk sympathized "But you lied to me and put yourself in harms way, what would have happened if you lost the baby? A baby we didn't even know about?"

"We don't have to think that way" AJ said to him quietly "That didn't happen"

"It could have" he said in a low voice "What happened in the room AJ?"

"I didn't even know I was going to be in a room face to face with him. I thought we'd be speaking through glass over a phone…" she trailed off

"I know AJ" he said quietly "I want to know what happened"

"When the guard took me into the room I noticed the bed and tried to leave but he wouldn't let me…" she said to him "…then Christian came in and they held me down and pulled my pants down…Claudette came in before anything else could happen"

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked her starting to feel bad. She went through something horrible yesterday and making her feel worse about it today wouldn't help the matters

"Yes you heard the doctor" AJ said to him

"No I mean mentally" Punk corrected

"I'm fine" she promised "And I didn't mean to lie or for any of that to happen"

"I know that" Punk sighed "You need to promise me right here and right now you will never put yourself in a position where you're alone with him or even see him again"

"I promise" she said quickly hoping this was all over now "It will never, ever happen again"

"It's not just you anymore" Punk reminded her "You have our child growing inside of you" he said eyeing her still flat stomach "We can't take any more chances"

"I am going to be careful" she promised

"If you get any packages or calls that are Christian related you need to tell me" he said seriously and she nodded "If you see someone following you-"

"I'll tell you" she said cutting him off "But you need to promise me something"

"What?" he asked

"We have to keep the baby a secret for as long as possible" She said to him

"Why?" he asked curiously

"If Christian finds out there's no telling how he'll react" she told him honestly

"You think he would hurt you knowing you were pregnant?" Punk asked then scoffed "Never mind he's today's generation Charles Manson of course he would" Punk looked over towards AJ and saw the fear in her eyes and offered her a smile "Don't worry I won't say anything- no one has to know"

"We have to tell work" AJ told him "And word spreads around that place like the plague"

"I'll handle it" Punk assured her "I'll talk to Vince personally he'll keep his mouth shut"

"Are you sure?" AJ asked him

"Vince McMahon is a lot of things but trust me he wouldn't put you at risk especially if you're still on his payroll" Punk said to her "Don't worry about that because you're not going to go near him again since you promised me that- and no one is getting near you now you're going to be safe you and our kid"

"Our kid" AJ smirked "It's weird to hear that"

"Get used to it" Punk smiled

"I guess I'm going to have to" AJ said to him "I can't believe there's another person inside of me" she smirked "But what are we going to do about work? You're going to be traveling and I'm going to be here-"

"You're not going to be alone" Punk told her "We'll work it out. Just worry about my son"

"Your son?" AJ snorted "You think we're having a boy?"

"I can feel it" Punk said to her

"You want to know something? I think so too" AJ said to him "Now obviously I want to tell your sisters, Paul, Colt and Cliff but other than that it's just us"

"No Cliff" Punk said to her causing her to frown

"He's going to find out eventually" AJ smirked

"How's that?" Punk asked "He's not going to be coming around here"

"Phil you're not going to throw away a lifelong friendship over something so stupid" She warned

"I don't trust him" Punk told her

"Phil don't be like that" AJ said to him "You love Cliff"

"Which is why his betrayal hurts me so much" Punk said to her

"It wasn't a betrayal" AJ chuckled

"It was" he said seriously "I trusted him with the most important person in my life and he fucked up" he told her bluntly "I can forgive a lot of things but risking your life because he has some stupid crush on you is one thing I can't do"

* * *

Later that day Punk and AJ were back to unpacking and were almost done finally.

"Louie hasn't left your side since you got him last night" Punk noted as he watched their dog follow every step AJ made

"He's obsessed with me" AJ smirked

"Smart dog" Punk grinned. Louie ran to the door and a moment letter the bell rang. "Really smart dog" Punk smirked walking to the door and revealing Colt.

"Hey" Colt said unsurely but Punk stepped aside to let him in

"Hi Colt" AJ said as he walked over to her and gave her a hug

"Are you ok?" Colt asked her as she pulled away

"I am" She assured him "Where's Cliff?"

"It's just me today" Colt smirked avoiding the question pulling off his jacket "Can you give me a minute with Punk?" he asked her kindly and she nodded

"Yea" AJ said "Louie needs a walk anyway" she said reaching for her umbrella

"Don't go far" Punk whispered into her ear as she reached for the door

"I won't and besides I've got Louie with me, he'll take care of me" AJ smirked opening the door and walking out with Louie

"What's up?" Punk asked

"I can't get in touch with Cliff" Colt told him bluntly

"Sorry to hear that" Punk replied coldly "What does this have to do with me?"

"Come on man" Colt sighed "He's devastated AJ got hurt and he's crushed that you're not talking to him"

"Too bad" Punk said annoyed "He's a big boy he made his bed he can lay in it"

"Damn it Punk come on!" Colt shouted "You're overreacting here and you know how he gets- we're his family!"

"AJ is my family too now" Punk reminded him "And he knew what he was doing when he did it!"

"He's not the one that hurt AJ yesterday" Colt reminded him now

"No but he led her right there and didn't clue me in on it" Punk said to him "I trusted him with my wife"

"He loves you both and knows he messed up can't you just talk to him about it-" Colt started

"No Colt I can't" Punk said to him

"He's probably drowning himself at a bar since this happened" Colt said to him

"My concern lies with my wife not my friend who can take care of himself" Punk said to him "I can't just stop what I'm doing here to chase him around town"

"I get that AJ is a priority but so is Cliff" Colt said to him "You're letting AJ consume your life and she's only been apart of your life for a year! Cliff has been there for years!"

"Don't go there with me" Punk warned in a low voice

"You've become that guy that drops his friends for a girl" Colt said not backing down

"That _girl_ is my _wife_ and she's carrying my child" Punk spat "And her safety is at constant risk and I can't just abandon her because Cliff is throwing himself a pity party!"

"Wait what?" Colt asked taken back "Did you say she's carrying your child?"

"She's pregnant" Punk said to him "I could have lost her and my child yesterday"

"Congratulations" Colt smiled warmly

"Do you know what Christian and that guard did to her yesterday? They locked her in a room and pulled her clothes off" Punk told him "She was almost- something really terrible could have gone down"

"I'm sorry that happened" Colt said to him "And the fact that she's pregnant just makes that much worse but you know Cliff" he said looking Punk in the eye "He loves you, he loves AJ and he's going to love your kid. Just reach out to him before he drinks too much and does something stupid like get behind the wheel or something. No one is feeling worse about this entire situation then he is trust me"

"I don't even know what to say to him" Punk told him honestly "I can't tell him I forgive so how could I even help?"

"He's family" Colt said slowly "Just hearing from you will change his whole mood" Punk reached for his phone and called Cliff but he didn't answer

"He's not answering" Punk said as the phone rang

"Leave him a message" Colt encouraged

"Cliff it's me" Punk started "Look Colt's worried about you…so am I" he said into the phone "…call me back" then hung up

"Thank you" Colt said to him "So while we wait to hear back from Cliff give me a hug so I can properly congratulate you on making me an uncle" he said pulling Punk into a hug

"We found out yesterday when I took her to get checked out" Punk said pulling away

"Is she really ok?" Colt asked

"He bit her neck" Punk said to him and Colt cringed "Really bad actually"

"He's a real psycho" Colt muttered "But he didn't hurt the baby or anything right?"

"No he didn't know about the baby thankfully" Punk said to him "And he can't know about it. So this stays between us- if this gets out I don't know how that lunatic will react"

"That goes without saying" Colt said seriously "What about work?"

"I have to talk to Vince. I left him a message and told him I have to see him on Monday before the show starts I think he thinks I'm quitting" Punk smirked

"I mean with traveling" Colt said slowly "He's going to find out she's pregnant eventually and she won't be able to travel with you and she'll just be here in the middle of the woods- no offense by the way but you're a big horror movie buff you know how those movies end right?"

"I know" Punk said to him "I don't know what I'm going to do when she's that far along but until then she can travel with me"

"She shouldn't be traveling that much" Colt countered

"I'll figure it out" Punk said annoyed

"Well if you need anything from me you know I'm here" Colt said to him

"I know" Punk said to him

"And Cliff" Colt added but Punk just rolled his eyes

"We'll see" he muttered

* * *

As the hours ticked by and it was after midnight Punk was now growing concerned over Cliff. He hadn't called him back or Colt and both were on edge.

"What is going on?" AJ asked the two

"What do you mean?" Colt asked innocently

"I mean you and Phil keep starring at your phones" AJ said to them "Is this about Cliff?"

"Colt hasn't heard from him since yesterday" Punk admitted

"Did you try calling him?" AJ asked concerned

"Yea" Colt said

"I meant Phil" AJ said narrowing her eyes at her husband

"Yes I called him three times and left him messages" Punk said to her "Nothing"

"Try from my phone" AJ said passing him her phone

"Good idea" Colt said as Punk took the phone and called Cliff. He answered after the second ring

"Of course" Punk muttered

"AJ?" Cliff asked in a slurred voice

"No it's me" Punk said to him but he hung up upon hearing Punk's voice "That son of a bitch hung up on me" he said annoyed "He fucks up and he's mad at me?"

"He's sensitive" AJ said to him "He's probably afraid you're going to scream at him again"

"Well now I'm really going to scream at him" he said annoyed "At least we know he's alive"

"Call him back" AJ said to Punk

"Why do I have to reach out to him? He messed up not me and I've tried four times now" Punk said annoyed. AJ snatched her phone from him and called Cliff back.

"Hey Cliff it's me don't hang up…yea he's here and he really wants to apologize to you" she said as Punk glared at her "…no of course he's not…you sound really bad where are you…Colt is here too if you want-….not Cliff don't worry about that….I'll come and get you right now" she said to him as Punk just shook his head in disbelief "…no I won't bring either of them with me…"

"What the hell did I do?" Colt asked listening in on the conversation

"…what's the address…oh I actually know where that it is…ok I'll be there soon" she then hung up

"Where is he?" Punk asked annoyed

"The Black Penny" AJ told him

"It's that dive bar not far from your old place" Colt said to him

"I know where it is and you're not going there to get him" Punk said to her

"Oh I wasn't planning on it" she said passing him his keys "You are"

"Me?" Punk asked annoyed "Colt you go"

"No it's not Colt he has to fix things with its you" AJ said to him "Go pick him up and bring him back here. Colt will stay here with me right Colt?"

"Of course" Colt said smiling AJ. She really wasn't giving Punk many options

"I hate being around him when he's drunk" Punk said annoyed "It will make things ten times worse" he warned

"He needs you" AJ said to him "He's our family and he needs us. So bring him back here so we can watch him and make sure he doesn't get sick"

"Can't I just bring him back to Colts at least?" Punk asked annoyed as he stood up "He's going to throw up everywhere and you're already throwing up and to be honest all of this talk of throw up is making me want to throw up" he said almost childishly

"Phil go" She said in an almost threatening voice "And pick me up some peanut butter while you're out because we don't have any here and I really want some"

"Oh shit" Colt smirked "She's not playing around"

"Fine" he said grabbing his wallet

"You are so whipped" Colt laughed as Punk walked by him- he made sure to slap Colt upside the head as he passed

* * *

Punk entered the bar dimly lit and crowded bar in search of Cliff. All the drunken idiots surrounding him already irritated him. He headed further into the bar and found Cliff sitting on a stool with his head lying on the counter.

"Cliff" Punk said trying to hold back his anger

"Oh shit" Cliff muttered "She told me she wouldn't bring you"

"Sucks when someone lies to you huh?" Punk shot back "How ironic is this?"

"I don't want to fight with you right now" Cliff said annoyed

"I don't either" Punk said "So get up I'm taking you back to my place"

"You threw me out of your home" Cliff reminded him

"And now I'm inviting you back in" Punk said starting to lose patience "Let's go"

"I'm not your child" Cliff spat

"So stop acting like one" Punk hissed

"Hey Mr. Straightedge is here!" laughed a guy sitting next to Cliff "All that no alcohol bullshit is really just that huh?" he laughed

"Do you see a drink in his hand?" Cliff asked annoyed "Fuck off"

"Cliff let's go" Punk said seriously

"You fuck off" the guy next to him said annoyed

"I'm not in the mood for your shit" Cliff said jumping to his feet

"Cliff it's enough" Punk warned

"Listen to your buddy there" the guy slurred "At least he's not washed up like you- well yet at least"

"I'm not washed up enough to knock your teeth down your throat" Cliff said getting in the mans face

"No one is fighting" Punk said stepping in front of Cliff and pushing him back. This was defiantly a different role for Punk to play "If you start a fight here right now I'm going to have to get involved and then AJ is going to be pissed at me and she'll be pissed at you too and believe me she's not to be trifled with tonight"

"You'd really have my back right not?" Cliff asked trying to hide his smile

"No matter how mad I am at you I would never just stand around and let someone beat you down" Punk said to him

"I deserve it" Cliff said to him

"You don't" Punk said to him "We'll talk about this later because AJ is waiting at home to baby you and nurse your inevitable hangover"

"How can you even look at me right now?" Cliff asked him

"My problem isn't looking at you it's smelling your disgusting drunk breath" Punk shot at him seriously "Let's go" he said leading Cliff out of the bar


	60. Walking In & Out

**Chapter 60: Walking In & Out**

* * *

Once Punk got Cliff back home he was able to get him to the couch where he passed out completely.

"Is he ok?" AJ asked sitting up in bed eating the jar of peanut butter he picked up for her with a spoon.

"Yea he'll be fine" Punk groaned kicking off his shoes

"I really wanted to talk to him before he fell asleep" she said with a mouthful of peanut butter causing him to smirk at her

"Is that good?" Punk asked with a chuckle

"So good the baby and I thank you" AJ said smiling

"You both are welcome" Punk said to her

"Aren't you coming to bed?" AJ asked him

"No I need to shower I have that disgusting bar stench" He cringed slightly

"Want some" she said holding a spoon full of peanut butter out for him

"Just because you can eat whatever you want doesn't mean I can" Punk grinned

"Just one bite" AJ said dangling the spoon as he removed his shirt "The baby wants you to eat it"

"Is this how you're going to get your way? Using the baby?" Punk asked and she just shrugged innocently. He leaned over and took a large bite off the spoon.

"Good?" she asked hopefully then he kissed her lips

"Very good" he said to her "Enjoy it" then he headed into the bathroom

Punk stepped under the hot water and ran his hands over his face. He was only in the shower for five minutes when he heard the shower door open and he smiled slightly. He knew it was her…or at least he really hoped it was her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face in-between his shoulder blades

"Hi there" Punk said simply

"Hi" she said sweetly. The next thing he felt was her pull away and a loofa running over his back

"Are you seriously washing my back?" he smirked

"Yes I'm being a dutiful wife" she said seriously

"Can I scrub your back when you're done with mine?" He asked

"No tonight is about you" AJ said seriously "You've been so good to me and now you're trying with Cliff…I'm really proud of you"

"Gee thanks" he snorted turning around to face her

"I wasn't finished" She pouted

"I want to see you" he said tucking some of her wet hair behind her ear

"Soon you won't be able to miss me" she smirked placing her hands over her stomach

"I can't wait" Punk grinned kissing her cheek then kissed her other one "More of you to love"

"You are so cheesy" she laughed wrapping her arms around his neck

"Let me finish up here" he said pulling away "I'll meet you in the bed"

"No here" she said to him "Louie is by the bed and you know he won't let you touch me" she smirked

"Shower sex is too dangerous babe" Punk informed her

"We'll be careful" She smirked reaching up and kissing him again then used her hands to push him down onto the wet shower floor

"Babe.." he warned but he could only watch as she slowly lowered herself onto him. He was completely buried inside of her and couldn't hold back the moan he let out when they made full contact "Jesus baby" he muttered resting his head against the shower wall. AJ rested her hands on his shoulders and after taking a moment to let her body adjust to his. She moved her hands to the top of his shoulders and began to lift herself up and drop back down; Punk began to move his hips against hers. And both were rapidly approaching their releases.

"Oh Phil" she moaned feeling herself begin to lose it.

"Let go baby" he encouraged and moved one of his hands over her nub and began to massage it "Do it" he whispered then bit her earlobe lightly and even though it didn't hurt all the over stimulation caused her to scream out in pleasure. And a second later Louie was outside the door barking both ignored him though. AJ reached her peak and second later Punk joined her.

"How come we've never done that before?" AJ asked resting her head on his shoulder as she tried to calm herself

"We're more hot tub type of people" Punk teased "But we can't do that for a while"

"I guess not" AJ said as she heard Louie continue to bark

"This dog does not want me to get laid" Punk muttered resting his head against the shower wall

"You did so buck up" AJ teased carefully removing herself from him

"Is this how it's going to be every time?" Punk asked standing up himself

"I'll try to be quieter" she laughed

"No that's my favorite part" Punk pouted "So are you one of those crazy pregnant horny women?"

"Aren't I always that way?" she asked seriously

"That's why I married you" he replied in the same serious tone as he helped her rinse off.

"I'm going to bed I'll let you finish your shower in peace" she said stepping out of the shower

"Good and don't violate me again" Punk warned sticking his head out of the shower door then slammed it shut

"I make no promises" she laughed grabbing a towel when the bathroom door swung open violently and she let out a loud scream

"Oh shit!" Colt said turning around quickly and running out of the bathroom

"What happened?" Punk asked jumping out of the shower

"Colt just got an eyeful" AJ said to him and Punk rolled his eyes

"Even in our own fucking house we get walked in on" He groaned shutting the water and grabbing a towel for himself and wrapped it around his waist.

"Sorry" Colt said as Punk stepped out of the bathroom "Really sorry"

"What were you doing Colt?" Punk asked annoyed

"The dog was going crazy I thought something happened" Colt said to him quickly "I mean he was barking as if someone was getting murdered-" he then noticed Punk was in just a towel and laughed "Oh! You two were-" he said with a laugh pointing to the bathroom as Punk just rolled his eyes "In the shower? At this time?"

"Oh is there a time frame of when a married couple has sex?" Punk asked sarcastically

"I just thought you both would have a little consideration" Colt said to him seriously "It's late for all this noise"

"I hope you can forgive me for not taking into account your beauty sleep" Punk remarked "It's not like AJ and I sit down and have a schedule"

"She seems spontaneous" Colt said with a grin

"Get out of my room" Punk said pointing to the door

"Fine I'm going" Colt said walking to the door and then leaving

* * *

The next morning AJ entered the kitchen and found Cliff sitting at the table by himself with a hot cup of coffee.

"Good morning" AJ said starling home

"Hey AJ" he said forcing a smile

"How are you feeling?" she asked putting on a pot of water for tea

"I've had better mornings" Cliff admitted "Usually when I wake up with this much of a hangover there's a hot blonde under my arm"

"Sorry" she laughed taking a seat next to him

"Where's Punk?" He asked "I want to be gone before he wakes up"

"Don't be silly" AJ said to him "He wants to talk to you"

"I messed up bad AJ" Cliff told her quietly

"No you didn't. I messed up" AJ said to him placing her hand over his "He knows you didn't mean any harm and he knows you didn't have a choice"

"I should have known better" Cliff told her seriously. 'Serious Cliff' was a trait of his that AJ wasn't sure she'd ever get used to "If something would have happened-"

"Nothing happened" AJ said to him "Phil was worked up at first but he's let it all go now"

"How could he?" Cliff asked "I can't even forgive myself"

"Forgive yourself?" AJ smiled "You have nothing to apologize for"

"You could have been killed" Cliff said to her

"I wasn't" She said in a chirpy voice "See I'm here and I'm good"

"You went to the hospital" Cliff pointed out

"Yes she did" Punk said entering the kitchen "Can you give us a minute AJ?"

"Yea ok" she said to him standing up and before leaving placed a reassuring hand on Cliff's shoulder

"Is she really ok?" Cliff asked him

"You're still alive aren't you?" Punk asked taking the seat AJ was just in "I'm pissed off Cliff. You and I have discussed this- my fears and you know what that man is capable of. AJ thinks everyone is good but you know that's not the case"

"I didn't think he had guards working for him" Cliff noted "I mean I thought he was a business man not friggin Tony Soprano"

"You can't underestimate him" Punk said seriously

"I know and I swear it won't happen again. You know I love AJ and I'll make this up to her and you" Cliff swore

"She's pregnant" Punk informed him and Cliff was stunned

"Holy shit" Cliff said still shock

"She could have lost the baby" Punk told him

"I never-" Cliff started but Punk held his hand up to stop him from talking

"She didn't know either we found out after I took her to the hospital" Punk assured him "The point is after we got back here I was still absorbing that information- actually I'm still trying to absorb it" he admitted quietly "What I'm trying to say is that I shouldn't have thrown you of the house"

"I would have thrown me out" Cliff said to him

"We're family" Punk told him seriously "But when it comes to AJ…it's like I can't control the way I think or feel. Everything was so black and white that night but after thinking about it obviously I don't blame you or her for that matter I blame Christian and that sleazy guard not you"

"Thanks" Cliff mumbled "So a kid huh?" he laughed sipping on his coffee

"Yea" Punk said with a small laugh

"I hope it's a boy" Cliff said to him

"Why?" he asked

"Could you imagine a little girl that looks like AJ running around here?" Cliff smirked "All the boys you'd be chasing away"

"Yea I'm banking on a boy" Punk said seriously

"So what about work?" Cliff asked

"That's where I'm going to need you and Colt" Punk said to him "I'm still going to be working and she's going to be cutting down. I need you both to have her back"

"Of course" Cliff swore "And I will not make the same mistake twice"

"I know you won't" Punk said to him

"Hey you two cool?" Colt asked entering the kitchen

"Yea" Cliff said

"Are we?" Colt asked with a laugh looking at Punk

"What did you do?" Cliff asked him

"Walked in on AJ naked" Colt said

"We've both done that before" Cliff said to him as Punk glared at the two

"No I'm talking completely naked" Colt said to him "Dripping wet from a shower and I didn't want to say it last night but she looks great for a pregnant lady you couldn't even tell" he said to Punk who just bit on his lower lip

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived for Raw that following Monday but they arrived a few hours earlier than usual to meet with Vince. The conversation with him went very well or at least AJ thought so. He told them he would keep this news strictly 'need to know' and AJ wouldn't be working on camera or in the ring any longer.

"I like your new shirt" AJ said looking over to Punk as he got ready for the night. He looked over to her and heard the bitterness in her voice when she said it.

"Yea? I think it's kind of obnoxious" Punk said eyeing the yellow 'GTS' shirt

"Like you" she mumbled causing him to hold back laughter

"I heard that" Punk said to her

"I said love you" She lied folding her arms

"I know you're not liking not working" Punk said to her "Don't worry I'm sure once your further along you'll feel better"

"How about you carry the child and I work?" AJ asked

"I would love that actually" Punk said seriously

"Well it can't happen" She said standing up

"Where are you going?" Punk asked as she reached for the door

"To eat something because all I want to do is eat" AJ said bitterly

"You are very lucky" Punk said seriously as she glared at him then stormed out of the locker room.

* * *

AJ was in catering eating everything fried they had to offer.

"Hey kid" Paul smiled taking a seat next to her "I'm trying to restrain myself a bit. Punk told me the news and I want to give you a big hug but I don't want to give anything away"

"Thanks Paul" she said quietly

"Why are you so down?" Paul frowned

"I didn't think not working would get to me but seeing Phil get ready for his match I'm feeling a little left out" she admitted

"Left out?" Paul laughed "You're carrying a child in there probably a future champion" Paul smirked "I'm jealous of you" AJ couldn't help but smile slightly

"Thanks Paul" She said quietly

"You're going to be out of work for a year but you're only 25" Paul reminded her "You can still work one day. Stephanie does it"

"I know" she said softly "I just wish I could be out there"

"And you will be in due time" Paul assured her "Just not right now. Right now you're going to focus on you and little Punk in there" he smirked

"I am really excited" AJ admitted "I'm already of thinking of ways to decorate the nursery"

"All hockey themed" Paul said seriously

"Not a chance" she said with a smile

"You're going to miss some work sure but you're going to have a child and believe me everyone back here would want that" Paul said to her "I wouldn't trade my children for the world"

"Hey AJ" Nikki said walking over to her "I just wanted to congratulate you on the pregnancy"

"What?" AJ asked surprised

"It's not true?" she frowned

"It is but no one is supposed to know" AJ said to her

"Oh well Michael told the girls" Nikki said to her "I just wanted to kind of bury the hatchet and wish you well."

"Michael Hayes?" she asked in an almost threatening voice

"Yea" she said simply and AJ stood up quickly and stormed out of the catering area

"AJ wait!" Paul said chasing after her

"Not now Paul" AJ said not even turning around to look at him

"We should let Punk handle this" Paul said nervously "Actually he's hot headed too I'll handle this"

"No I've got this" she said finding Hayes talking to a production assistant "Hey!" she said tugging on Michael's arm so he was facing her

"Is there a problem AJ?" Michael asked annoyed

"Yes you and your big stupid mouth!" she yelled out "How dare you tell everyone I'm pregnant it's a secret!"

"I only told the girls" Michael told her smugly "They had a right to know"

"No they didn't- no one had a right to know including you! This is my child!" she yelled out

"AJ please don't get so upset" Paul said trying to calm her down

"Do you know what can happen to me if this leaks? Do your realize the danger me and my child could be in!?" she demanded

"AJ please" Michael scoffed "I am so sick and tired of your drama. You getting pregnant is the best thing could have happened to this division because god knows you were next in line for the belt"

"That's enough" Paul warned him

"All I'm saying is not many women would decide this was the best time to have child" Michael defended lightly "I mean you still feel like you're in danger so bringing a child into you're already dangerous world seems rather selfish" he smirked at her "And let's be honest you're still a kid yourself and make bad choices. I mean you were about blossom here and now it's all gone and you'll never get it back because you didn't leave a big enough impression on the fans yet. This little mistake you made is just that- a very stupid mistake" he said slowly AJ raised her hand to slap him across the face but stopped midair

"Do it" Paul encouraged in her ear as he glared at Michael

"Do it please AJ this way you can cause even more problems" Michael said with a laugh. As AJ slowly lowered her hand she kneeled over and vomited all over Michael's shoes. Paul's eyes widened in surprise upon the move.

"You make me and my child sick" she informed the blonde man then walked away

"AJ are you ok?" Paul asked walking up to her

"I'm ok" she said holding back tears

"That was awesome" Paul smiled

"I need to be alone" she said as she felt the tears run down her face

"It's ok AJ he's an idiot and just blowing hot air" Paul assured her

"I don't care about what he said" AJ admitted as she freely started to cry "I care that he opened his mouth. Christian is going to find out- he's going to-"

"Do nothing" Paul finished for her "He's in prison"

"You know that won't stop him" AJ said to him shaking her head "He's going to kill my child"

"AJ" Paul said stunned "Nothing is going to happen"

"You don't know that" she said pulling away "Hayes just painted a target on my back!"

"Paul!" Punk cheered heading towards him "I've been looking for you we have to-" he stopped upon seeing AJ who was crying hysterically "What's wrong?" he asked alarmed but she didn't respond she just walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him "Paul?" Punk asked him as he held AJ close to his chest

"She had a little disagreement with Hayes" Paul said to him as Punk narrowed his eyes

"He told all the girls I'm pregnant" AJ sobbed out "And now Christian is going to find out and kill us"

"Where is he?" Punk asked Paul

"Don't know" Paul said to him

"Stay with her" Punk said trying to pull away from AJ

"No, no you stay with her" Paul said stepping back

"I need to see him now" Punk said in a low voice

"Bad idea" Paul said coolly "I'm going to go find Hunter and try to smooth this over before you put Hayes in the hospital"

"Then he said our baby was a mistake" AJ said looking up at him "I know I was upset before about not working but I don't think our baby is a mistake"

"Of course he's not" Punk said to her "Let's go back to the locker room" he said leading her down the hall

"I don't know why I'm crying so much" she admitted

"You're a little hormonal I suppose" Punk said and that's when they passed Hayes.

"Hey AJ!" Hayes shouted "I'm sending you a bill for my shoes!" Punk let go of AJ and took a step towards Hayes but was blocked

"I've got this" Hunter said to him

"Get out of my way" Punk warned him

"Go take your wife back to the locker room and calm her down" Hunter instructed "I will handle this"

"No need to make a big fuss over the shoes" Hayes said to them

"I'm going-" Punk started but Hunter pushed him back

"This is my job" Hunter warned in a low voice

"It might not happen today" Punk said looking over Hunter's shoulder "But one day soon you are going to get the shit kicked out of you" he threatened

"What did I do?" Hayes asked annoyed

"Please Phil" she said tugging on his arm "I feel sick"

"Yea take the little lady back to the room" Michael said to him "This is a conversation for men to have or real employees for that matter"

"You're going to fire him right?" Punk asked Hunter

"No one is getting fired" Hunter said to him

"Yea sorry champ you don't call the shots" Hayes said to Punk

"Shut it" Hunter warned "Get to my office"

"You're going to let him disrespect my pregnant wife like that?" Punk asked in awe "You do have a wife and children don't you?"

"I'm going to handle it" Hunter repeated

"Just like you handled him last time?" Punk asked annoyed "Why did he even know AJ was pregnant? I thought it was need to know and I don't see how Hayes needed to know it"

"He's a high up official" Hunter reminded him

"That's scary" Punk said honestly "He goes or I go" he said bluntly

"No one is going anywhere" Hunter said to him

"That's where you're wrong" Punk said to him then looked at AJ "We're leaving" he said to her

"What do you mean leaving?" Hunter asked "You're up in twenty minutes"

"Not anymore. Have your valued employee Michael Hayes stand in for me" Punk said bitterly

"Let's talk about this" Hunter said to him

"I asked this company one thing- keep the baby news private for her own safety and you and daddy McMahon couldn't even do that" Punk said coolly

"You can't walk out of here" Hunter warned as Punk grabbed AJ's hand and led her down the hall "Get back here Phil!" he shouted but Punk just ignored him

"You can't do this" AJ said to him as they walked into his locker room "You can't just walk out"

"Sure I can" Punk said simply grabbing a pair of shorts and pulling them on over his ring gear

"Don't punish Vince and the fans over Hayes" AJ insisted

"No AJ this company is bullshit" Punk spat "They told Hayes you were pregnant, they didn't fire him which is something they should have done months ago! I don't trust these people and how can I trust anyone here especially now" he said to her "You're pregnant and instead of looking out for you they already made things worse. First day back and you're already crying- for your health and my sanity we're leaving right now"

"At least talk to Vince" AJ encouraged

"The time for talking is done and he's the last one I'm talking to" Punk said bitterly "He lied right to my face and said only the high up people would know and he would keep your pregnancy news within this arena" he spat

"He considers Hayes high up" AJ defended lightly as she watched Punk throw some of his stuff into his bag and zip up

"It's bullshit" Punk spat "We're done here" he said reaching for the door with his bag in hand "You coming?" he asked

"Of course" AJ said walking out with him


	61. A Family Thing

**Chapter 61: A Family Thing**

* * *

AJ was wide-awake in bed. She glanced over and saw how peaceful Punk looked, it's the most peaceful he had looked in a very long time. They arrived back home the previous night and he refused to talk about walking out on the company that made him a household name or answer phone calls from Vince or anyone else from the company including Paul. At first she thought this was a terrible idea until she saw him finally sleep. It was like this weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and now she was thinking that having him fulltime wasn't such a bad idea. Obviously they weren't hard up for money and the house was paid in full because Punk hates any kind of bills, this didn't seem so bad after all.

That now annoyingly familiar nausea resurfaced, it came on sudden so she jumped out of the bed hoping not to wake Punk in the process as she reached for the toilet. Always at her side Louie was watching her as she flushed the toiled and slumped back.

"I'm ok" she assured her loyal dog as she petted him. She stood up and saw Punk was still out cold and smiled faintly and ushered Louie out of the room. She took Louie out for his morning walk and when she got back Colt and Cliff were already at the house.

"It's momma!" Cliff beamed giving AJ a kiss on her cheek

"Where's that husband of yours?" Colt questioned from the couch

"He's upstairs sleeping so keep it down" she warned

"What the hell happened?" Colt asked "He didn't really walk out did he?"

"He did" AJ confirmed "I don't know for how long or if he's just trying to prove a point but we left right before the show started Monday"

"So what's the real story?" Cliff asked "One story said him and Hunter got into it, another said that fired you so he walked out"

"Is that all they said?" AJ asked hoping some details were kept out

"Pretty much oh and they all say you're pregnant" Colt said casually "I thought you were trying to keep that secret"

"We were" AJ sighed "But Michael Hayes-" she started and felt herself starting to cry and both guys looked nervous they weren't used to crying hormonal women

"He what?" Cliff asked taking the lead and placing a friendly arm around her shoulders and led her over to the couch to sit

"-he told everyone I was pregnant" she sniffled "Forget the fact that it's too early and he's jinxed us now but this whole thing with Christian makes this just as worse"

"There, there" Cliff said patting AJ on the back causing Louie to growl at him and he quickly jumped away

"He is such a lowlife" Colt said disgusted

"I don't know why he hates me so much" she cried out as Colt handed her a tissue

"He hates everyone" Cliff reasoned

"No he loves Nikki and Brie and Celeste-" AJ rattled off

"His taste sucks" Cliff said to her bluntly

"And to top it all off all I do is throw up" she confided through her tears

"It's going to be ok" Colt smiled warmly "You shouldn't be worrying or upsetting yourself this much it's not healthy for the baby"

"The poor baby that's already been jinxed by Michael Hayes?" AJ asked bitterly

"Your baby isn't jinxed" Cliff assured her "As a matter of fact I have a present for my little niece or nephew" he said happily as he reached over and handed her a bag. AJ reached in and pulled out a onsie the front read 'Cliffy don't surf' and the back read 'but I do'

"This is so great" She said smiling at the garment

"I had it specially made" Cliff said proudly

"No kidding" Colt snorted

"I love it" AJ said placing the outfit down and hugging him

"So he's really still sleeping?" Colt asked looking at his watch "It's not like him to sleep past…well to sleep in general"

"I know" AJ said to them "But I can't bare to wake him I want him to rest this is the first peaceful night he's had since meeting me I think"

"Well tell him we stopped by" Colt said to her "We're heading out of town for a show we just wanted to drop by before leaving"

"I'll tell him and thank you for checking in" AJ said giving them each a hug

* * *

Punk slowly opened his eyes when he felt the heaviness on his chest. At first he thought he was dying but then realized someone was literally sitting on him as he was laying on his back.

"Hi" Punk said in a groggy voice

"Hi there" AJ said watching him carefully

"You ok?" he asked her and she nodded

"Are you?" she asked him

"Yea except for the pregnant woman on my chest" Punk smirked

"I wanted to make sure you were still alive you've been sleeping all day" AJ said to him. Punk turned his head and looked at the time "It's only 7"

"7pm" she informed him and his eyes widened slightly

"I haven't been out for that long have I?" he asked alarmed

"Yes you have" AJ said to him "Did you sleep well?"

"I must have" Punk said to her "You should have woken me up"

"No way you looked so cute" she said to him "Don't worry I snapped some photos of you" he chuckled lightly and placed his hands on her hips

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked her and she just shrugged

"I was sick all morning" she admitted "But I got a lot done. I took Louie on a couple of walks, cleaned, finished unpacking the kitchen and the media room so I think we're officially moved in" she smiled

"You shouldn't have done all of that" Punk said to her "It's too much for you"

"It certainly is not" AJ argued

"Did you eat?" Punk asked her

"What's the point? It all comes up anyway" she said and he just rolled his eyes

"You need to eat" Punk said seriously sitting up causing her to slid down over his lap

"You're probably starving" AJ noted

"I am and I'm sure you are too" Punk said to her "What does the baby want for dinner?"

"Peanut butter" AJ said honestly

"Well tell the baby that he needs more than peanut butter" Punk said to her giving her a quick kiss on the lips then moved her over so he could stand up

"I guess the baby wouldn't mind some pizza" AJ said to him as he stretched his arms

"Daddy wants pizza too" Punk smirked

"I think the baby also wants some garlic knots, and fries" AJ added then smiled

"Anything else?" Punk questioned

"Some rice balls?" she asked hopefully

"The baby must be starving" Punk teased and she just shrugged innocently

Punk headed down the stairs to order in some food when he found the gift that Cliff had left. He picked up the onsie and laughed at it- it was classic Cliff.

"You like it?" AJ asked coming up behind him

"Yea" he said still looking at the small clothing

"Starting to hit you yet?" AJ asked

"It's hit it's just now it's all becoming real" he admitted

"Freaking out?" she teased

"Yes" he said to her then smirked "But in a good way. I'm excited"

"What are you going to do about work?" AJ asked him

"I don't know" he admitted "What do you think?" he asked surprising her a bit "It's not just about me I can't make this decision without you"

"It's your life" AJ corrected

"_You're_ my life" Punk said seriously

"Do you want to go back?" AJ asked him

"No" he said to her "But that's how I feel today"

"I think you need to do what makes you happy" AJ said to him honestly

"If I walk out now and don't go back it could affect you down the road if you want to go back" Punk pointed out

"I'll deal with it" she told him "You've spent so much of your life worrying about your friends and your family and putting them first and now me and the baby- now is the time for you to put you first" she told him seriously

"I don't know what else is there for me" he admitted

"You're also in a lot of pain all of the time" AJ pointed out

"I want to be here with you I don't want to be on the road" Punk told her "I don't want to miss things and I always promised myself by the time I had children I'd be retired"

"So stay here with us" AJ said simply "It's that easy"

"Not exactly" Punk said to her "They can sue me"

"Do you really care though?" AJ asked surprised that money would be the reason he went back

"Not at all" Punk chuckled

"Take the week" AJ encouraged "Sleep on it some more and then decide"

"I will" he said quietly

"Now hurry up and order our food you don't want to anger the child" she threatened pointing at her stomach

* * *

The next few days flew and by the weekend Punk still hadn't bothered to contact Vince or anyone else from WWE back. AJ thought his anger over the situation would have died down but instead it just intensified. But Punk seemed as happy as ever and was even planning a housewarming party for the next weekend. Things seemed to be going great but AJ was still not feeling great and today was one of those horrible days where she was having morning sickness- all day. She couldn't even get out of bed if she tried. Louie was by her side most of the day until Punk took him out on a run.

"Now you're my best friend" Punk muttered annoyed at the dog as they raced back up to the house. Punk noticed a small woman approaching the front door and rolled his eyes. How a fan was able to find their place was beyond him. "This is private property" he informed the female intruder. She slowly turned around with a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. That glare was very familiar to him…

"Thanks I never would have figured that out" the girl remarked annoyed "It's not like you don't have a gate at the front of your property that has signed attached that reads 'private property'"

"So obviously you can read past third grade level- congratulations" Punk remarked "How did you get past the gate?"

"I hopped over it" the girl said with a simply shrug "Good security by the way"

"Have you met my friendly dog?" Punk questioned "Why don't you come on over and try to pet him?" he encouraged hoping the dog would bite her

"Are you always this rude to guests?" the girls asked now folding her arms that's when Punk noticed the duffle bag and now it was starting to click the small girl did seem familiar almost like AJ…

"You're Erica" he said slowly

"That's right" she smiled "How'd you guess?"

"Let's see you're about the same size as my wife, same glare and she mentioned your horrible attitude once or twice" Punk said honestly as he reached for his house keys and opened the door

"So she's mentioned me?" Erica asked with a grin

"Like I said…one or twice" Punk said as Erica followed him and Louie into the house

"Holy shit look at the size of this place!" Erica whistled

"Classy" Punk remarked with a sarcastic grin

"Where is my baby sister anyway?" Erica asked taking in the huge house

"She's resting" Punk said to her

"Well go up and get her" Erica laughed

"Actually AJ needs her rest and I know she wasn't expecting you so how about you come back tomorrow or never" Punk smirked

"I can see why she married you" Erica said fondly "She always had a thing for jerks. But seriously it took me a long time to get here, a longer time to find your place and even longer time to hop the fence I'm not leaving until I see my sister"

"Why?" Punk asked "Where have you been the last year of her life?"

"I'm sure AJ has mentioned I travel" Erica said to him

"Professionally?" Punk mocked "How much do you get paid 'traveling?'"

"I make due" she said coldly

"AJ kind of implied you're more of a drifter" Punk shrugged innocently

"I want to see my sister" Erica said sternly

"I want you out of my house" Punk shot back "Have you ever traveled to a police station before?"

"I'm April's family" Erica reminded him

"No you're a stranger" Punk said to her "Do you even know what your sister has been going through? I'm assuming that's why you're here but obviously not so I'm assuming you're here for some kind of handout?"

"Wow you are ballsy" Erica snorted

"How much were you looking for?" Punk asked her seriously

"I'd feel better talking to my sister" Erica said coldly

"Well your sister is resting and she can't be stressed out so let's just tell me how much you want I'll give it to you and you'll be on your way" Punk said to her

"You're just going to give me money?" Erica asked cautiously

"No questions asked" Punk promised

"Eight hundred should cover me" she said to him and Punk just nodded "I also need a place to crash for tonight"

"Not here" Punk laughed at her

"You have enough room I'm sure" Erica said annoyed

"I do but you're not welcome" Punk smirked "I'll put you up in a hotel" he said walking away "Louie watch her and bite her if she tries to steal anything" he said to Louie who was sitting watching Erica

"Creepy dog" Erica muttered

"Erica?" AJ asked coming down the steps

"Hey sis" Erica said nervously

"What are you doing here?" she asked as Erica threw her arms around her

"I came to see you!" Erica said pulling away "You look horrible by the way"

"Sorry I really wasn't expecting you" AJ said to her "I haven't been feeling well"

"Yea your rude husband said you were resting" Erica said to him

"You met Phil?" she asked her

"Yea how else would I get in here?" Erica laughed

"You would have found a way" AJ muttered

"I can see why they call him Punk now" Erica said and AJ nodded

"So what are you really doing here Erica?" AJ asked her

"What's with the third degree?" Erica asked "I just told you"

"It's just odd timing is all" AJ said to her "And how did you find out I lived here?"

"Not from mama or daddy" Erica said to her "You haven't spoken to them in months. I actually got it on the internet you'd be surprised what you could find. So while I'm here why don't you tell me while you look so terrible"

"It's morning sickness" AJ mumbled taking a set on the couch

"Morning sickness? It's night" Erica said to her "Are you pregnant?"

"So you looked up my address but you haven't once bothered to see what I've been up to?" AJ asked

"The world doesn't revolve you April" Erica said to her

"Did you know I was stabbed?" AJ asked

"Of course" Erica said to her "I was in Tennessee and couldn't get back"

"Couldn't call?" AJ questioned

"I've been busy same as you. It's not like you make an effort either" Erica said annoyed. That's when Punk walked back into the living room and AJ noticed the envelope in his hand

"What's that?" AJ asked him

"I didn't realize you were up" Punk said to her

"I should be going" Erica said taking the envelope from Punk

"Oh no way" AJ said standing up and snatching the envelope from her sister "You were going to give her money?" she asked him

"Don't talk to him like that" Erica said as AJ just rolled her eyes

"You're not taking a dime from us" AJ warned

"It's his money and he wants to give me some so butt out" Erica shot at her taking the envelope back

"Ladies" Punk said forcing a smile as the two eyed each other "Let's just-"

"-it's our money" AJ spat snatching the envelope yet again

"I need it!" Erica yelled at her causing Louie to bark at her

"For who?" AJ asked annoyed "Who's rent are you paying this week?"

"It's not your business" Erica said annoyed "You've never cared before so don't bother now"

"I never cared?" AJ laughed

"AJ just let her take it" Punk said to her

"No Phil" AJ said seriously "I have paid for my entire family for years and it nearly cost me my life. I'm still paying back the debt we are not giving any of them a cent more!"

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Erica asked dramatically "Just give me the money and I'll be gone"

"No Erica" AJ said in a serious voice "I have my own family to look out for. You can take care of yourself"

"You know what forget I was even here" Erica said annoyed grabbing her bag and walking to the door "You are so selfish. You live in this huge house, you have more money then you can spend and you can't even help out your own sister?"

"You're not my sister" AJ said coldly even surprising Erica. "Don't come back here again" Punk could see even Erica was hurt by the comments.

"AJ why don't-" Punk started but she just glared at him

"Get her out of here or I'm going to lose my mind" she warned him then stormed up the stairs this time with Louie following her

"What's her problem?" Erica asked trying to the hurt in her voice

"She's been through a lot and has been on her own this entire time" Punk told her

"You know what? It wasn't just AJ who's had to live with the scars of our childhood" Erica told him "Robbie and I have been on our own too"

"She's hormonal" Punk said simply

"I didn't even know she was pregnant" Erica said to him "She must feel good knowing her child isn't going to grow up in the backseat of a car like she did. I am happy for her"

"You should have told her that" Punk smirked

"She doesn't want to hear from me" Erica said walking towards the door "Take care of her alright?"

"Wait out here I have a cab picking you up" Punk informed her "I called and got you a hotel room when I was getting you the cash. You can stay there for the night"

"April doesn't want you helping me" Erica reminded him

"She said not to give you money and I'm not" Punk said "But maybe if you called her up once in a while you two could work this out"

"I don't know that sister of my mine is pretty stubborn" Erica laughed

"I've noticed" Punk replied sarcastically

"It was kind of nice meeting you" Erica said "And thanks for the shelter for the night"

"Don't mention it" Punk said to her "I'm serious- don't mention it ever or she'll kill me"

"Relax we're not really on speaking on terms" Erica smirked then walked out the door

Punk went upstairs to check on AJ who was laying on top of the bed with Louie now on his side of the bed, his chin resting in AJ's lap as she petted him.

"Is she gone?" AJ asked keeping her eyes fixated on the TV

"Yea" Punk said to her

"You were really going to pay her? How would you feel if I paid your mom or brother without telling you?" AJ asked

"I didn't think you wanted your sister sleeping on the streets" Punk said to her honesty

"She's lying" AJ said to him annoyed "She always does this"

"She seemed upset" Punk said to her

"Do not tell me you're taking her side!" AJ warned

"I'm not" Punk said quickly "All I was trying to say is that she does seem bothered by what you said which means she cares"

"She cares about what she can get out of me" AJ spat "I can't believe she wanted money"

"And she wanted to sleep here" Punk added

"Of course she did" AJ said groaned "I haven't heard from her in a year in a half and she shows up at my doorstep asking for handouts- typical Erica"

"Don't work yourself up she's gone" Punk said to her

"Well of course I'm worked up because now part of me thinks she's sleeping on the street tonight and I need to go out and find her" she said annoyed "I hate this! Why can't I just not care anymore"

"Because you're you" Punk smirked "She's staying in a hotel tonight"

"You got her a hotel room?" AJ asked glaring at him and he nodded prepared for her wrath but it never came. Her eyes softened and she smiled at him "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Punk said walking over to her "She's your family and I know you'd be worried"

"I just hate that she doesn't care" AJ said to him "I don't want to be cruel and not help her but I'm hurt too"

"I think you're wrong about her not caring she's just a stubborn Mendez" Punk said to her "She's mean too."

"I told you" AJ said to him "Well if she truly cared about me she'd come back"

"You threw her out of the house" Punk laughed "I wouldn't be surprised if she never came back"

"You don't know my sister" AJ said to him seriously "When she wants something- she gets it"


	62. Housewarming

**Chapter 62: Housewarming**

* * *

Punk and AJ were getting ready for their housewarming party. Of course AJ didn't do much Punk took care of the food, his sisters decorated, Natalie bought over the majority of food and Colt and Cliff showed up to just eat basically. Even Paul flew down and Punk was more than happy to have him as long as he promised not to talk about work.

"So AJ how are you enjoying have Punk around fulltime?" Chaleen asked "Is he driving you nuts yet?"

"Not yet" AJ said with a laugh "He's tiring out poor Louie. He's become Punk's running buddy"

"He's just trying to get the dog to like him" Colt scoffed

"Louie loves me!" Punk shouted from across the room, he was talking to Paul and Cliff

"Right" AJ smirked sarcastically

"So how are you feeling?" Paul asked

"Well I'm still getting sick but I think the morning sickness has decided to just happen in the morning" AJ said laughing lightly

"This house is beautiful" Chez said to AJ "Which room is going to be the baby's room?"

"In the empty spare room right across the hall from ours. Actually if you leave both doors open I'll have perfect visual of the crib" AJ told them happily "Do you want to see?"

"Sure" his sisters laughed and followed AJ

"I'll just take your word for it!" Paul shouted not following the group. The doorbell rang and Paul walked over to answer it. He was amused by the figure in front of him. "Hello there" he grinned eyeing the woman

"Ew" Erica said with a disgusted face and walked right past Paul into the house

"It's for you Punk" Paul smirked closing the door.

"Great" Punk mumbled seeing Erica

"Who is that?" Colt asked

"AJ's sister" Punk whispered then walked over to her "Now isn't the time Erica-"

"I don't really care about you" Erica said to him "I need to see April right now"

"We're kind of having a family gathering at the moment try back in a couple of days" Punk said walking her to the door

"No I'm not leaving until I talk to her" Erica said pulling away and gliding right past him "April!" she shouted

"You're really going to do this right now?" Punk asked annoyed

"I need to see her I have to talk to her" Erica said desperately

"The last thing she needs is you stressing her out" Punk whispered to her "Do not cause a scene right now"

"I will cause the biggest scene you have ever seen unless you get my sister down here" Erica threatened

"You can't just walk into my house and threaten me" Punk scoffed

"Erica" AJ said with a sigh "What are-" she started as she walked down the steps but Erica met her half way and dragged her by the wrist back up the stairs

"Dude who was the hot chick?" Cliff asked coming up behind Punk

"Not now" Punk said annoyed and headed up the stairs

"Erica I can't do this right now" AJ said to her

"Why you're too busy with your fake family?" Erica asked folding her arms

"They are my family Erica" AJ frowned "Look I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings the other night and I do want to talk to you about it all but I can't right now"

"You did say some hurtful things so I googled you to find out what the hell your problem is" Erica informed her "Why didn't you tell me that you have a crazy stalker?"

"Really?" AJ said shaking her head "It's all over the media you really never bothered to look me up?"

"No AJ you know I'm a free spirit" Erica said to her "I don't let my life be consumed by fancy phones and internet gossip. You whored yourself out to a rich psychopath so he could give mom and dad money"

"How dare you" AJ said pointing at her sister "You know me better than that"

"I do know you so that's why I'm so confused" Erica said to her "If you needed help you should have called me and Robbie"

"And say what?" AJ asked "Robbie is away in the army but what's been your excuse? You've never been around for me you left me"

"I knew that this was all about that" Erica said to her "I didn't abandon you"

"What would you call it?" AJ asked "As soon as Robbie got out you were gone two days later. I begged you not to leave me and you said once you got settled you'd come back for me but you never did. I still slept in the cars and worked so we could get a hot meal once in a while"

"I would have come back for you but I never got settled- hell I'm still not settled" Erica laughed "You were better off"

"Better off alone?" AJ asked her hurt

"Yes" Erica said quietly "You shouldn't have done what you did for them"

"They're out parents" AJ said to her

"And how often have you heard from them?" Erica asked her "I speak to mom every week and she never once mentioned any of this with you and I know she knows what's going on"

"It is what it is" AJ said to her "I have my own family to worry about"

"You do" Erica agreed "You're married and having a baby. I am happy for you"

"Thank you" she said to her

"I didn't know how bad things were" Erica told her honestly "I would have come back to help you"

"There really wouldn't have been anything for you to do" AJ said to her still trying to feel out if Erica was being genuine

"I would have found a way to be helpful" Erica assured her with a grin "What can I do now?"

"Nothing" AJ told her

"I'm not leaving Chicago until we make some of this right" Erica said to her

"I'm not giving you money" AJ shot at her

"I don't want the money" Erica said rolling her eyes

"How are you even making money?" AJ asked her

"I make due" Erica said to her "You know how resourceful I am"

"That's what scares me" AJ bit back

"I feel bad Ape" she said using her kid nickname for her sister "Let's just get past this. You, me and Robbie always promised each other no matter we'd always be close"

"It's years too late" AJ informed her "And I don't trust you"

"Fine" Erica said accepting the response "I'm going to leave you alone then" she said but gave AJ a hug "I love you no matter what" she then walked to the door and was about to leave

"Wait" AJ said to her and Erica turned around "Please don't make me regret this…but you should stay for the party at least. We have too much food and you look like you could use a good meal. You could also get to know Phil better"

"He's an asshole what more do I have to know?" Erica laughed

"Insulting my husband isn't going to do you any favors" AJ warned

"Right, I'm sorry" Erica said quickly "I'd love to stay for the party" when Erica opened the door Punk practically fell in, he clearly had his ear to the door.

"Speak of the devil" Erica scoffed

"I believe your exact words were 'asshole'" Punk corrected

"Whatever" Erica shrugged walking past him

"Are you ok with this?" AJ asked him "If you're not I'll ask her to leave"

"She's your sister" Punk reminded her "She can stay if you want"

"So you were eavesdropping?" AJ smirked

"Maybe" Punk said walking towards her "I just wanted to make sure you two didn't start slapping each other or anything"

"Am I making a mistake?" she asked him

"I don't know" he admitted "But she's family and you two seemed to have a strong bond when you were younger. What's the worse that can happen? She disappoints you? She's already done that"

"I guess" she said unsurely

* * *

Later that day AJ was eyeing Erica the entire night to make sure she was on her best behavior she really hit it off with Punk's sisters and was chatting it up with Cliff for most of the night.

"Is she behaving?" Punk asked coming up behind his wife

"I guess" AJ said to him "Could you tell Cliff to stop hitting on her? She's not good enough for him"

"Are you sure?" Punk laughed "Cliff isn't really a prize"

"I'm not kidding" AJ said to him "She latches into a guy and sucks the life out of them I don't want to see that happen to Cliff'

"He'd probably enjoy it" Punk countered but AJ just shot him a glare "I'll talk to him"

"So speaking of talking have you spoken to Vince?" AJ asked him in a whisper so no one else would hear

"Yea we spoke earlier briefly. There's no change yet" Punk told her "This could get ugly"

"I support whatever you decide" AJ said to him

"I mean it AJ if I don't go back forget the legal issues but the fans and the guys backstage aren't going to make things easy" Punk said to her "The last thing I want to do is create more stress for you and the baby"

"First of all this baby is half of you so he's already stronger than I could ever be" AJ teased "And if this is the worst of our problems for right now I'm sure we'll be just fine" she laughed

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Punk asked her

"You remembered?" AJ asked surprised

"Did I remember that tomorrow is your doctors appointment?" Punk questioned "Of course not" he laughed kissing the top of her head then joining his sisters across the room. AJ tried to hide her disappointment…

* * *

The next day Punk was sitting next to AJ in the waiting room waiting to be seen by her doctor. She was quiet the entire day and even last night went to bed before the party was over.

"Are you upset because of Erica?" Punk asked her

"Nope" AJ said flipping through a magazine "I told you I'm not upset at all"

"I think I know you a little better than that" Punk smirked

"So did I" AJ replied coolly as she kept her eyes cast on the magazine. Before he could respond they were called into the office. AJ stripped down and got into the gown that was provided for her and sat on the table waiting for the doctor to come in.

"Are you feeling ok?" Punk asked

"I told you I'm fine" AJ said a little harshly "I'm just anxious. I've been so sick the last few weeks I just hope the baby is ok"

"I thought that was all normal" Punk frowned

"It is but I'll feel better once the doctor tells me everything is fine" AJ said to him

"I really wish you would just tell me what's got you so upset" Punk said to her

"Nothing has me upset" AJ said to him as the doctor stepped in

"Mrs. Brooks" the doctor said to her then shook Punk's hand "Mr. Brooks. Are you ready to hear your child's heartbeat?" he asked with a smile

"Yes" Punk said happily

"How have you been feeling April?" the doctor asked

"I've had horrible morning sickness but it's subsided I think" AJ told him

"Yea you've actually lost a few pounds" the doctor said eyeing her chart "You need to eat more"

"I eat plenty it just comes back up" AJ defended "Right Phil?"

"Yea I mean how bad is this weight loss for the baby?" Punk asked the doctor

"It's not horrible because it's not much but you really need to try to find something that agrees with your stomach. I know right now that doesn't seem possible but you will" the doctor said to her "Give in to those cravings when ever you have them. Even if that means waking up your husband at two in the morning to go out for ice cream and fries" he said

"Ew" Punk said to him

"That was my wife's favorite when she was having our first" the doctor laughed

"Ok I'll do that" AJ said to him. "I'll do whatever it takes"

"I'm sure you will" the doctor said giving her a reassuring smile. After five minutes the doctor began the sonogram and their child's heartbeat filled the room. "I know it isn't much right now but that tiny little dot there is your son or daughter" he said pointing at the screen

"Wow" AJ said in awe "He's really tiny"

"Yep. That why we need you to eat a little more so he can get bigger" the doctor said to her

"I'm not a child" AJ shot at the doctor

"She's hormonal" Punk defended quickly

"Is he ok?" AJ asked the doctor

"The baby is very healthy" the doctor assured her as he watched the monitor "Everything is right on track"

"Good" AJ smiled as she watched the screen

"Do you guys have any questions?" the doctor asked removing his gloves and standing up

"Do you have a list of what she absolutely can not eat?" Punk asked him and he nodded "Also what kind of exercises can she do? She's very into working out and I don't want her to over work herself"

"Yea I've got all of that" the doctor told him as AJ watched the two talk

"Oh and about coffee…" Punk trailed off. AJ just watched in awe as Punk asked the doctor about a million questions about the pregnancy. She didn't even realize he was curious. He then started to pull up articles he had saved on his phone that contradicted other articles.

* * *

A thirty-minute appointment had turned into an hour one just so Punk could get all of this information. He was really into this and that turned her soar mood upside down.

"I didn't realize all the research you had been doing" AJ said while Punk drove them back to their house

"Of course" Punk said to her "I want to make sure we do everything right."

"I hate the no caffeine rule" AJ said to him "I love coffee"

"You can have decaffeinated coffee" Punk said to her "But not much since it still isn't great for you"

"He said I could have a cup once in a while" AJ reminded him

"What's the point?" Punk asked "Just don't drink it"

"That's easy for you to say" AJ said to him bitterly "You can still drink it…unless…" she said smiling over to him

"What? You want me to give up coffee too?" Punk asked almost nervously. He feigned for coffee just as much if not more than AJ does.

"Yea we can do it together" AJ said to him "It would really make it easier on me" she said simply

"Ok" he reluctantly agreed

"Really?" she asked him and he nodded

"Sure" he said already regretting agreeing to this "I won't have coffee until after the baby is born, happy?"

"Very" she said cheerfully "You are such a good man" she said kissing his cheek

"Well at least you're in a better mood" Punk noted

"I told you I was fine" AJ said to him "You're right I'm just hormonal"

"Right" Punk smirked as they pulled into a restaurant parking lot

"What are we doing?" AJ asked him

"I thought we'd grab dinner" Punk said pulling up to the valet

"Phil I'm not dressed for this place" AJ said to him quickly

"If we don't go now we won't make our reservation" Punk said as the valet approached the car and AJ stepped out.

"They're not even going to let us in" AJ said as Punk grabbed her hand and led her to the front door "And why didn't you tell me you made a reservation?"

"I thought I did" Punk said as they stepped inside "Two for Brooks" he told the host who smiled and asked for a minute before stepping away

"Phil everyone here is in a dress and suit" AJ hissed into his ear "We're going to stick out like sore thumbs"

"Who says that anyway?" Punk asked "Does a sore thumb really stick out?"

"It's not funny Phil" She said desperately "Let's leave"

"Relax babe a friend of mine owns the restaurant and he set us up in the back" Punk assured her

"Please follow me" the host smiled waving Punk and AJ to follow him

"Everyone is looking at us" AJ whispered into his ear

"Because you're so beautiful" Punk replied as they reached a backdoor

"Your table is set up right inside" the waiter smiled opening the door

"Surprise!" a bunch voices shouted startling AJ. She looked around and saw the entire back room was covered in flowers and balloons.

"You really thought I forgot your birthday?" Punk asked her with a cocky like grin

"Yes you jerk!" she said slapping his arm "I've been upset all day"

"I know and I wanted to tell you but I wanted to see your face and it was well worth the silent treatment" Punk laughed. "How could I forget your birthday?"

"I don't know" AJ said quietly "You had this planned?"

"For a while" Punk said to her

"We got you a dress as a birthday present!" Punk's sister cheered giving her a hug "It's perfect for tonight come on…" she said pulling AJ away

"She looked surprised" Colt noted

"She was" Punk said happily looking around "Everyone made it I see"

"Yea except for Erica" Colt said to him "You invited her right?"

"I told her last night to come" Punk told him "I thought she was going to show"

"Ask Cliff he was hanging around her all night" Colt said to him

"I was just being nice" Cliff defended "And she told me she was going to be here. Maybe she's running late."

"You took her back to the hotel last night?" Punk asked him and Cliff nodded

"Yes and I didn't even attempt to join her" Cliff said proudly "I was a perfect gentleman just as you threatened me to be"

"Did you bring a change of clothes?" Colt asked him

"No" Punk scoffed walking over to the table that already had appetizers set up

"So how did it go at the doctors?" Colt asked "Everything ok?"

"Yea AJ and our son are in perfect health" Punk told him

"You already know?" Colt asked

"I just know" Punk said to him "It's father's intuition"

"He's just hoping on a boy" Cliff laughed

"We'll see" Punk said confidently "I'll be happy with either as long as it's healthy but I know it's a boy"

* * *

Later that night close to midnight Punk and AJ arrived back at home and the first thing she did was kick off the ridiculous hills that Punk's sisters insisted she wear.

"My feet just aren't meant to be in heels" she said simply

"You looked great though" Punk said closing the door behind him "That dress is hot" he said eyeing her fondly

"Yea? You don't think it's too short?" AJ asked running her hands over the small black cocktail dress

"Yes I do but that's probably why I like it so much" Punk said seriously

"I'm not even going to fit into it in a few weeks" AJ said to him

"The important thing is you fit into right now" Punk said removing his jacket

"Might be difficult to get out of" AJ teased

"No it won't" Punk said to her seriously "But I have something for you first"

"Really?" she asked

"Yea go upstairs and I'll meet you there- keep that dress on" he warned and she pouted "I want to be the one to take it off of you" he said seriously "Louie!" he shouted causing the dog to head towards him and not follow AJ upstairs "It's so nice out, you want to go play outside?" he asked with a plastered smile and quickly opened the back door that led to the backyard and closed it

AJ was sitting up in bed over the covers in her dress when Punk entered holding a small birthday cake.

"I already had cake at the restaurant" AJ smiled

"Oh this isn't your ordinary birthday cake" Punk said placing the dish on the bed carefully "This is ice cream peanut butter cake"

"No way!" she said with wide eyes looking at the small cake that had a single candle lit up on top

"Make a wish" Punk encouraged. She carefully blew out the candle "So what did you wish for?" he asked curiously

"I'm not saying" she said teasingly giving him a kiss on the lips "Thank you today has been perfect"

"Almost" Punk said as he placed a spoon in the already melting ice cream cake and placed it into her mouth "I got you a present" he said getting out of the bed and walking over to his dresser drawer and pulling out a long wrapped box

"You already got me enough" AJ said to him as he moved back onto the bed and rested his head on his hand

"Open it" He demanded lightly. She unwrapped the box and there a charm bracelet inside.

"I love it" she said taking it out of the box "You have the batman symbol"

"Obviously representing me" Punk said to her with a grin "You're Harley Quinn"

"And there's a little dog" AJ said to him smiling at it

"For Louie obviously" Punk pointed out

"Where is he by the way?" AJ asked noticing their large dog wasn't attached at her side like usual

"He's around" Punk said quickly "Here look at this one" he said pointing to it

"Is that Robin?" AJ asked with a laugh

"Yea our son is going to be my little sidekick just like Robin was to Batman" Punk informed her "Obviously as the years pass we'll fill it up more"

"I love it. It's our tiny little family" she said kissing his lips "Put it on for me" she said holding her wrist out for him and he locked the bracelet around her petite wrist

"Is it too big?" he asked adjusting it

"It's perfect" AJ said to him "Just like this entire evening"

"Did you really have a good time?" Punk asked her

"I really did. You have once again made me incredibly happy" AJ told him

"Have some more cake" Punk said but AJ picked the cake up and placed it on the nightstand table.

"No more food" she said to him "I want you for dessert" she said cupping his face and pulling him on top of her

"It will melt" Punk said pulling away slightly

"I'll melt" she warned him "I want you and I want you right now and it's my birthday so make it happen" she said in an almost threatening voice

"Do you have any idea how much you just turned me on?" Punk asked with a light groan nipping at her lips gently. AJ bent her leg slightly and ran her knee in-between his legs and smiled

"Yea I have an idea" AJ smiled but Punk adjusted himself so he was on his knees and eased her up so she was sitting

"I need you out of this right now" Punk said to her reaching behind her and zipping down her tight dress and pulled the straps over her shoulders. She leaned back into the bed and watched lustfully as he tugged the rest of the dress off of her. Before joining her back on the bed he tugged off his shirt and kicked off his jeans.

"Come here" she teased moving back on the bed resting her body on her elbows and bending one leg

"I am so lucky" Punk grinned before practically pouncing on her

"I love you so much" AJ whispered against his lips before capturing them with her own

"I love you and I'm going to show you how much I love you" he said in a low growl pulling away and sliding down her body until he was face to face with her core.

"Phil" she said looking down at him but quickly looked up at to their ceiling as she felt him pull her underwear down and then enter her with his mouth…

* * *

Christian was in a single prison cell. He actually enjoyed solitary confinement. He had a book in his small cell and a toilet, what else could he want? A guard even snuck him a picture of AJ which he would stare at for most of the day.

"Happy Birthday beautiful" Christian said to the photo. He hated being out of the loop but ever since his encounter with AJ he's been locked away. He still had connections but it was difficult for him to get word on AJ. He desperately wanted to send her some kind of gift today and was going to try but if he couldn't he would make up for that later.

"Scott" the guard said from outside the door sliding the small passage

"Yes" Christian said politely walking over to the door to make eye contact, which was the only contact he could make through the steel door. "Do you have any news for me?"

"We couldn't send her the flowers" the guard said quietly "Did you know she was pregnant?" Christian felt his heart freeze

"What?" Christian asked quietly

"She's pregnant at least that's the word online" the guard whispered "They haven't confirmed but they both left the company they were in"

"Dear god" Christian muttered

"You'll be out of here in a few weeks-" the guard started

"Leave me alone!" Christian screamed. There wasn't much in the small cell for him to destroy so instead he punched the brick wall as hard as he could and didn't stop when he started to bleed. He only stopped when he grew too tired and collapsed to the floor in tears.

* * *

**A/N: Where was Erica? Is the WWE really just going to let Punk walk away? Will Christian tap into some of his outside connections know that he knows the news? Stay tuned...**


	63. Awkward Timing

**Chapter 63: Awkward Timing**

* * *

A few weeks had passed since AJ's birthday and she still hadn't heard from Erica. It was like she had dropped off the face of the planet. AJ wasn't too surprised but she was still disappointed. She would have liked to have someone from her family help her with the baby but for right now Punk was filling in and he was doing a great job. AJ thought she was going to have to pull teeth to get him to go baby shopping with her but it was really the opposite, he was anxious to get everything together. He clearly had a lot of free time and was pouring all of his energy into the baby's nursery.

"What about this one?" AJ asked Punk as they looked at cribs in the store

"I don't know" Punk said eyeing it and walking over and shaking it "It doesn't seem sturdy enough"

"It's the floor model" AJ laughed

"We're going to need something strong for my kid" Punk said seriously "I don't care how it looks I want it to be top of the line and safe"

"I'm sure all of these cribs are safe" She said gesturing around the large room "Just pick one"

"I don't know…maybe we should look somewhere else" he said seriously

"Phil it's just a crib" she smirked

"Cribs are important" Punk argued

"Ok what about his one" she said finding a dark wooden crib "It's classic and old fashioned cribs are the safest"

"I don't know" he mumbled eyeing it carefully and she rolled her eyes

"Well you have to make a decision soon" AJ said placing her hands on her hips "The baby will be here in four in a half months"

"I'll decide before than" Punk said to her smugly

"It takes time to order it and have it delivered" AJ said to him "Please just pick one because we can't pick the rest of the furniture until you pick the crib"

"Alright let me look around again" Punk said to her

"Fine I have to go to the bathroom" AJ said to him

"Again?" Punk asked her

"Your son thinks my bladder is a toy" AJ shot at him placing her hand on her small but much larger stomach "You better have one picked out by the time I get back"

"Yea, yea take your time than" Punk said keeping his eyes locked on all the choices

AJ was stepping out of the bathroom when she heard her phone ringing. She saw it was her sister and at first hesitated to answer but then decided to answer just in case something was wrong.

"Hello?" she asked

"Hey Ape" Erica said happily as if the last few weeks never happened

"Is something wrong?" AJ asked with an annoyed sigh

"No why would you ask?" Erica asked

"Because I haven't heard from you since the housewarming which was a month ago" AJ said to her

"Oh I had to leave town" Erica said simply

"Why?" AJ questioned

"You know I can't just stay in one place for too long" Erica said to her "Look I really wanted to see you tonight. I was thinking we could have dinner- my treat of course"

"Oh really?" AJ asked with a laugh "And where are you getting the money to treat me to dinner?"

"I always get by sis don't forget that" Erica said to her "So what do you say? Sister night?"

"I don't know" AJ admitted hesitantly

"Come on I'm not going to be in Chicago for too long just meet me for dinner so we can catch up" Erica insisted "This is me trying Ape, come on"

"Ok" AJ said quickly before she could change her mind

"Great" Erica said to her "I'll text you later with details" then quickly hung up

AJ found Punk talking to the sales person and hoped he had picked a crib.

"…so it's the safest one right?" Punk asked

"Sir I've already told you all of these cribs are safe" the man laughed nervously

"We'll take it" AJ said coming up behind Punk

"AJ-" Punk started

"Give the man your credit card" AJ said seriously to Punk

"Fine" he said pulling out his card and handing it over to the man

"I'll be right back with the delivery forms." The man smiled stepping away

"Good choice" AJ said to him

"I don't know if it's the right one" Punk said seriously

"It's perfect. I liked this one best myself" AJ said to him

"I guess" Punk said to her

"So I just got an interesting phone call" She said to him

"It wasn't work was it?" Punk asked hoping that those calls had finally died down

"No it was Erica actually" AJ said to him

"What did she want?" Punk asked coolly trying to remain unbiased

"She wants to have dinner tonight" AJ said to him "A sister gathering so to speak"

"Are you going?" Punk asked her and she nodded

"Yea I mean I guess this is her trying." AJ shrugged "It's better than nothing. She's always been a flake"

"It's your family" Punk said to her simply "Her intentions don't always seem to be the best"

"She's my sister" AJ reminded him "What could she possibly get out of this? Money? She already knows that's not going to happen"

"Ok" Punk said to her simply

* * *

AJ was upstairs getting ready for her dinner with her sister but her growing bump distracted her as she got changed and ended up looking in the mirror.

"I really hope you're not planning on going out to dinner without a shirt" Punk said walking into the room

"My stomach is getting bigger by the hour" AJ said running her hands over the bump

"I don't know about that" Punk said coming up behind her "But our boy is growing" he said wrapping his arms around her and intertwining his fingers with hers as they rested on her stomach

"Yes he is" AJ said to him "And I really wish we could decide on a name so we could stop calling him 'boy', 'baby' and 'it'" as soon as they got confirmation they were having a baby AJ was anxious to pick a name.

"I already told you I don't want to name him Phillip" Punk said to her and she rolled her names

"It's tradition and I love that name" AJ argued lightly

"We're not traditional and I want my son to have his own identity" Punk said to her

"He will" she said pulling away to look at him in the face "I'm sure you'll make sure of that but I want our son to have your name."

"That could be his middle name" Punk said to her

"Or Phillip could be his first name and maybe we could call him by his middle name?" AJ asked him trying to compromise

"We'll talk about it" Punk promised kissing the top of her head "Now go get a shirt on before you forget and leave without one"

"Like I would ever do that" AJ laughed walking over to her closet

"You have that weird 'pregnancy brain'" Punk said seriously "You had on two different shoes yesterday, you unwrapped a candy bar last week and threw out the candy bar and almost ate the wrapper, you also walked off without Louie earlier today and left him in the woods"

"Yea I guess I'm a little scatter brained" AJ smirked "But Louie is smart, he found his way back right away"

"Thankfully" Punk muttered "So where are you having dinner again?"

"That steakhouse we used to go to a lot" AJ said to him

"Alright well I'll drop you off and just text me when you're done" Punk said to her

"I can take myself" AJ smiled. He was still crazy protective

"No I think I'll take you" Punk said to her coolly

"You should just have dinner with us" AJ offered

"That's ok. Your sister and I don't really see eye to eye" Punk smirked "I'll stop by my sisters' place" Punk told her "If something feels wrong or-"

"-I think someone is watching me I will call you immediately" AJ finished in a mocking voice

"Mock me all you want but we've been at peace this last month and I want it to stay that way" Punk said seriously as she buttoned up a top

"Yes I know and I will be very diligent" she assured him

"I feel as if you're being sarcastic" Punk noted "I'm serious AJ"

"Yes I know!" she said frustrated "Now let's go I'm already running late" she said walking out the door and he slowly followed

* * *

AJ was running late but so was Erica. AJ was already there for thirty minutes when Erica strolled in.

"You already ordered without me?" Erica pouted taking a seat across from her sister

"Just an appetizer I was starving" AJ defended "I am eating for two"

"Yes I can see that" Erica smirked "Look at how big you got"

"Yea he's getting big" she said happily

"He? You're having a boy?" Erica asked an AJ nodded "Congratulations"

"Phil's really excited" AJ noted "I don't think he's ready for a girl"

"Yea I could just imagine how crazy he'd be. I'm actually surprised he isn't here with you" Erica said to her looking over the menu

"He dropped me off" AJ told her

"Speaking of your crazy husband give this to him for me" Erica said passing her an envelope

"What is this?" AJ asked her

"It's just to pay him back for the hotel he put me up in" Erica told her

"We don't want your money" AJ said to her

"Well I don't want yours so let's just call it even" Erica said simply

"Where did you get this money?" AJ asked her "Are you working?"

"No" Erica said to her

"So where did you get all of this?" AJ asked her "And where have you been this last month?"

"I met a guy" Erica told her with a grin

"He clearly has money" AJ noted

"A lot of it" Erica said to her with a laugh

"You do remember what happened when I was with a man who had a lot of money" AJ pointed out

"He's not Christian Scott rich" Erica smirked "But he takes care of me"

"What's his name?" AJ asked her

"So you can look him up and judge me?" Erica questioned "No way"

"Do I at least get to meet him?" AJ asked

"Sure" Erica said to her "If you want to"

"Yea I'd love to meet this mystery man" AJ said to her "How long are you going to be in town for?"

"For a little while" Erica said to her

"So bring him by my place for dinner" AJ insisted

"I don't know" Erica said nervously

"Why not?" AJ asked her "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing I think he's great I'm just not so sure you or Punk will like him" Erica said to her

"Since when do you care what people think of you?" AJ asked her surprised

"I don't want to upset you" Erica admitted placing the menu down

"Just come by on Thursday" AJ insisted "Bring your guy. Colt and Cliff will be there they're always over that night for dinner this way it won't be awkward"

"I really don't think it's a good idea" Erica said to her

"Why do you keep saying that?" AJ asked her "I thought you agreed to try working on our relationship"

"I am working on it" Erica said to her seriously "You have no idea how hard I'm trying here and I'd hate to see it all ruined"

"What aren't you telling me?" AJ asked her sister seriously

"Look-" Erica started but the waitress stepped over

"Are you two ready to order?" the waitress asked them

"Yes!" Erica said happy to have the interruption "I would love a glass of red wine. My sister is knocked up so she can't have any" she laughed "Not that she would have some anyway she's the lame one in the family"

"Thanks Erica" AJ said annoyed

* * *

AJ was in the kitchen that following Thursday taking all the food she ordered out of the takeout boxes and placing them into bowls and different dishes.

"I can't believe they haven't caught on to the fact that you order this food in" Punk snorted entering the kitchen

"You better not rat me out" AJ warned him

"Wouldn't dream of it" Punk said to her

"Erica better not rat me out either" AJ mumbled as she began to set the table

"Did you say Erica?" Punk asked

"Did I forget to mention that?" AJ asked innocently

"Yea I think you left that part out" Punk said to her

"She's bringing her new boyfriend over" AJ told him

"Great so we're going to have you sister in our house who I still don't trust and now she's bringing along some stranger" Punk said bitterly "The point of living here is so people don't find us"

"Erica is a lot of things but she would never intentionally bring someone here she thought would be a threat to me" AJ said to him seriously

"Is this the guy she's getting all of her money from?" Punk questioned

"Yea I guess" she said to him

"And what does he do for a living?" Punk asked her

"She didn't mention" AJ said quietly and she could feel Punk tense

"Great" he mumbled "Just what we need in our lives another questionable rich guy"

"Come on" AJ sighed "Not every guy with money is Christian Scott"

"What's the rule?" Punk asked her

"Sorry I forgot" AJ mumbled. Punk had made her promise to not say Christian's name in their new house.

"I wish you would have told me" Punk said to her "We could have gone out for dinner. I don't want strange people in our home"

"I know but trust me Erica isn't that bad" AJ said to him

"It's not Erica I'm worried about" Punk told her "It's the boyfriend"

"If you don't like him you can ask him to leave" AJ assured him

"What's the point he already knows where we live and how to get in" Punk said to her "I'll have Louie bite him though"

"There you go" AJ smirked that's when Louie ran to the door "They're here" she said quickly "Keep them in the other room until I throw away the takeout boxes" she said pushing him out the door and that's when the bell ran

Punk walked to the door and revealed Colt, Cliff and Erica on the other side.

"Hey sorry we're late" Colt said stepping in

"I bought dessert" Cliff said handing Punk a box of cookies

"You bought dessert?" Punk laughed "You've eaten here sometimes three times a day and you've never offered anything"

"Today I'm feeling generous" Cliff shrugged

"I bought the wine" Erica smiled holding up a bottle of wine

"How very thoughtful" Punk remarked closing the door "I thought AJ said you were bringing your boyfriend"

"I am" Erica said with a smile and that's when Punk opened the door and looked out to make sure he didn't close the door on the guy.

"I don't see anyone-" He started as he turned around and then saw her clinging to Cliff's side

"Surprise" Erica beamed. Punk let out a loud laugh

"This is a joke" Punk said to them still smiling

"Don't be mad" Cliff said tightening his grip around Erica

"No, no" Punk said quickly pulling them apart "AJ is going to freak out"

"Why?" Erica asked

"Because she just is and she's super hormonal" Punk warned them "She's either going to laugh or cry or scream"

"I hope its laughter" Cliff said seriously

"I asked you not to" Punk hissed at him

"Dude come on" Cliff laughed

"You don't have to explain yourself to him" Erica said to Cliff

"You butt out" Punk said annoyed

"No. I'm not going to let you talk down to him like he's your pet" Erica said sternly

"Did you know about this?" Punk asked turning his attention back to Colt

"I just found out on the way over" Colt said quickly

"How long has this been going on?" Punk asked them

"Long enough to know I'm in love" Cliff said as Punk rolled his eyes

"Are you kidding me?" Punk asked "You don't even know her- her own sister doesn't even know her!"

"Oh good you're all here" AJ said as she stepped into the living room

"Hey I bought cookies" Cliff said snatching the box from Punk and handing it to AJ

"You shouldn't have" AJ said opening the box

"I got your favorites too" Cliff pointed out

"Peanut butter cookies" AJ said dreamingly looking at the box

"I know that baby loves peanut butter" Cliff said proudly

"That's very thoughtful" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek

"Hey Ape" Erica said giving her a hug

"Hey I'm glad you could make it" AJ said to her "So where's your boyfriend I've been dying to meet him" Erica just smiled "What?" AJ asked feeling the tension and Punk pointed at Cliff "No" AJ laughed then looked at the two who were smiling "No" she said now realizing this wasn't a joke. "Erica you didn't" AJ said to her

"Isn't this great" Erica said to her "You already like my boyfriend!"

"Excuse me" AJ said forcing a smile and walking past them "Phil" she hissed passing him letting him know she wanted him to follow. They headed up the stairs and into their bedroom

"It's not that bad" Punk said to her "Cliff is a nice guy-"

"Yes I know he's a sweetheart but Erica is not" AJ said to him "He handed her eight hundred dollars to pay us back and they've barely dated! She's using him"

"Well he doesn't make that much money" Punk noted "So I don't think she's with him for that reason"

"She's going to ruin him" AJ said to him "You can't let that happen"

"Cliff is a big boy he knows what he's doing" Punk smirked

"Phil no you don't get it" AJ said to him "I can't sit down there and eat with them knowing how terrible this all is" she said desperately "Cliff is more my family than Erica is and I can't watch him get hurt"

"Are you sure you're not overreacting?" Punk asked her with a grin, she shot him a glare and he quickly lost the smile "I'm sure you're not" he said quickly "Just sit down there with us and eat you went through all the trouble of putting the food into bowls"

"It's just such a bad idea" AJ said running her hands over her face

"I'll be right there next to you" Punk assured her grabbing her hand

"Keep the knives away from me" She said seriously "I'm feeling extra emotional tonight"

"Ok" he laughed

The dinner was filled with awkward silence. Colt tried to keep his eye contact on Punk the entire evening.

"This is really good" Colt said finally speaking to AJ

"Thanks" AJ said quietly

"There's no way you cooked this" Erica said with a laugh

"AJ is a really good cook" Cliff commented as AJ just rolled her eyes as he spoke to Erica

"No she's not" Erica laughed "Either your husband has a second calling as chef or you know where all the best takeout spots here"

"If you're going to critique dinner why don't you just leave" AJ suggested sweetly as she took a sip of her water

"So Punk have you guys picked out a baby name yet?" Colt asked trying to ease the tension

"Yes" "No" AJ and Punk said at the same time

"So you're still deciding" Colt smirked

"Don't you think our son should be named after Phil?" AJ asked him

"Punk is a silly name" Colt said to them

"Not Punk you dork, Phil" she giggled

"Of course" Colt said to her "Seriously why is this not even a debate?"

"I don't want my son to live in my shadow" Punk said to him honestly "He's going to be dealing with it his whole life as it is the least we could do is give him his own name"

"I agree besides Phillip isn't that great of a name" Erica said agreeing with him

"Thanks so much" Punk remarked sarcastically

"Don't insult his name" AJ warned

"I'm just agreeing with him" Erica defended lightly "Would you lighten up?"

"No I will not lighten up" AJ shot at her "What are you doing Erica?"

"What do you mean?" she asked offended

"Why are you with Cliff?" AJ demanded "How did this even happen?"

"I wanted more details about what you've been going through so I asked Cliff, we met for lunch and we just hit it off" Erica told her simply

"How long has this been going on?" AJ asked them

"We met for lunch after the housewarming" Erica told her

"I would never disrespect your sister" Cliff assured AJ

"I know that" AJ said offering him a light smile "It's not you I'm mad at"

"Why are you mad at me?" Erica asked "I thought you'd be happy I finally found a good guy"

"That's the problem" AJ said to her "He's too good for you"

"That's low Ape" Erica said in a sad voice "I'm still your sister"

"You're a leech" AJ said with a bitter laugh "You get with a guy they fall in love with you, you get bored then you leave"

"That's not true" Erica said coldly "Why are you so angry?"

"Because you're using him" AJ shot at her

"You don't know me April" Erica reminded her

"And whose fault is that?" AJ questioned "You left when I was kid so you could whore around" even Punk was taken back by the comment

"You're not that innocent either" Erica said standing up "I'll be in the car" she said to Cliff as she dropped her napkin on the table and walked towards the door

"Erica wait!" Cliff shouted standing up "You can't just talk to her like that. She means a lot to me"

"I can talk to her anyway I want this is my house" AJ reminded him standing up herself

"Ok dinner's over" Punk said also standing up

"I love this girl, couldn't you just try for me?" Cliff asked clearly hurt by AJ's comments then turned and followed Erica out.

"Well they're my ride" Colt said awkwardly "I'm totally on team AJ though" he said to her seriously

"Thanks Colt" she said quietly

"I'll call you later" Punk said as Colt walked out of the house as well.

"I'm not apologizing to her" AJ said to Punk before he could say anything and stormed out of the kitchen herself.

* * *

Erica raced down the front steps and the down the property to the car, she bumped right into somebody.

"Sorry Miss" the man said quickly helping her up

"Who are you and why are you on my sisters private property?" Erica demanded

"I work for the security company" The man said with a laugh pointing to his uniform

"Oh" Erica said

"Erica!" Cliff shouted chasing after her and the security guard quickly walked away

"Why is there a security guard here?" Erica asked him

"They come like three times a day" Cliff said to her "Are you ok?"

"No. I told you this was a bad idea" Erica said to him as they reached his car "She can't get over the past"

"She will" Cliff assured her "AJ is the most understanding and forgiving person I have ever met"

"To you maybe" Erica said trying to hold back tears "I know I'm not perfect but I'm trying"

"She'll see that" Cliff assured her pulling her into a hug. "Just give her some time"

"And I'm not a whore" she added and he let out a small laugh

"I know" he smirked kissing the top of her head

"I think that well" Colt said with a smile as he approached the two.

The security guard walked around the house with his flashlight. He noted how quiet the area was in the woods and reached for the walkie-talkie attached to his shirt.

"All clear" he said into it. He reached the back of the house and saw Punk through the large windows clearing the table but remained out of sight. He walked by the large windows with his hat hanging low over his face and knew Punk had spotted. He raised his hand in a small wave to acknowledge Punk who just nodded at the guard. It took Punk a few weeks but he finally got used to the strange security guards checking out the property. The third night in their home Punk sent Louie after one of the guards. The company called and gave Punk exact times the guards would be coming around so he wouldn't be surprised (and also wouldn't have Louie outside who was extremely protective of Punk and AJ). The security guard reached his company jeep and pulled his hat off. The security guard's nametag read 'Sam' but it was really Dan Jacobs. He had gotten an 'in' into the private lives and home of AJ and Punk and they had no idea- at least not yet.


	64. I'll Show You

**Chapter 64: I'll Show You**

* * *

AJ was sitting up in bed with the large box of cookies that Cliff had bought over from the bakery. She was so angry and but felt guilty at the same time.

"Kitchen is all cleaned up" Punk announced proudly entering the bedroom

"Thanks" AJ muttered as she chewed down a cookie

"Are you still angry?" he asked but she just shot him a glare "Ok that answers that" Punk smirked "Come on off" he said to Louie who was occupying his spot on the bed. He did jump off the bed when Punk commanded him to "Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?" he asked proudly as he sat on the bed "Can I have one?" he asked before reaching into the box

"Sure" she said passing him the box

"Look if what you said about your sister is true then you won't have to worry about this relationship lasting" Punk said to her

"There's still going to be a lot of hurt feelings" AJ said to him "I hate to see Cliff crushed like that"

"He looked pretty crushed tonight" Punk noted "He loves you and hates that you're so mad"

"I'm not mad at him" AJ reminded him "I don't know why he got so upset anyway"

"He really likes your sister" Punk said to her taking a bite out of a cookie

"He doesn't even know her" AJ said to him

"How well did we know each other when we started together?" Punk asked her and she knew he made a point

"It's different" AJ said to him firmly

"How?" Punk asked her "Think about it. We've really only known each other for a year and from the first minute we spoke I knew I loved you"

"No you didn't" AJ scoffed

"Oh I did" Punk confirmed "I couldn't keep my hands off of you and if I remember correctly you couldn't either" he smirked

"We're different" AJ said to him

"You were closed off and mean to me" Punk pointed out "Or did you forget that?"

"I wasn't that mean" AJ defended "And your girlfriend was a bitch to me"

"Still I mean we moved really fast" Punk admitted to her "And I don't regret it for a minute"

"I wasn't with you for your money" AJ reminded him "I worked and created my own career"

"That is true" Punk agreed "But really Cliff doesn't make that much money" he laughed "I mean he barely gets by as it is"

"I was ok with letting Erica be a part of my life again but now I feel like she's forcing her way in and using one of my friends to do it" AJ admitted "When we were kids she always ditched me when she got a new boyfriend and she would make the biggest deal out of the guys she was with but would dump them for their friend the next week"

"Do you think she's going to ditch you if things go sour with Cliff?" Punk asked her "Or wait a minute" he laughed "You think Cliff is going to ditch you for your sister"

"It's not like that" AJ defended but Punk knew he was right and smiled

"It is" he said still laughing

"I don't have many friends" AJ admitted as Punk listened amusingly to his wife "And I consider Cliff to be one of my best friends I'd hate to lose him"

"Cliff isn't your friend" Punk pointed out "He's your family. He's not going anywhere believe me I've tried"

"What if she poisons him against me?" AJ asked him

"He thinks you walk on water and that's probably why he was so upset tonight" Punk said to her

"I didn't want to upset him I wanted to upset her" AJ said to him

"Well mission accomplished" Punk laughed "She seemed pretty hurt. You know Cliff told me Erica is working too"

"Yea right" AJ snorted "That girl hasn't worked a day in her life"

"She is" Punk said to her "He told me she's a waitress"

"And I bet she's living with Cliff" AJ shot at him "Not even offering to chip in for rent or anything else"

"I wouldn't take a cent from you" Punk pointed out "Even if I didn't have all this money it's a man thing"

"Please stop defending them" AJ begged lightly "I need you to be on my side here"

"I'm always on your side" Punk said seriously "Even if I think you're wrong- not that I'm saying you are"

"Yea you are" AJ mumbled

"I just want you to be happy" Punk told her simply

"I am happy" AJ said to him "Just not at the moment"

"That's a shame" Punk said giving it thought "I guess I'll just have to make you happy"

"How will you do that?" she asked innocently

"I'll just have to seduce you" Punk said simply causing her to snort a laugh

"I hate to break it to you but I'm five months pregnant it won't be difficult to get my pants off" she said seriously trying to not to laugh "I'm horny 24/7 and I feel so unattractive I need you to make me feel good"

"You're beautiful" Punk said pushing her down on the bed gently and began to unbutton her blouse "Your boobs have gotten so big" he said fondly

"Don't get used to them because eventually they'll go back down to training bra size" AJ warned

"I love your body the way it was, the way it is now and I'm sure I'll love it just the same after the baby" Punk smirked tossing her shirt onto the floor and the top fell on Louie "Out Louie- it's Punk time now you've hogged her enough" Punk said noticing the dog was there "Go watch the door- shoo" he said snapping his finger and pointing to the door and the dog slowly walked out the door

"I hate kicking him out" AJ pouted

"Well I hate the loud barking every time I'm about to seal the deal" Punk retorted

"Sealing the deal?" AJ smirked

"I thought it was the classy response" Punk said simply as he pulled her leggings down her body and they soon joined her blouse on the floor

"You aren't disgusted by the size of stomach yet?" AJ asked seriously

"No as a matter of fact I think you've never looked sexier" Punk told her honestly then tugged off his own shirt

"I was just going to say the same thing about you" AJ said biting on her lower lip as she watched Punk strip of his clothes

"Normally I would be very flattered by that but I caught you drooling over the guy from the dog commercial" Punk said seriously and she covered her mouth up to stifle her laugh

"It's hormones" She said through laughter

"Hormones my ass" Punk muttered kissing her passionately

* * *

The next morning Punk woke up with his naked and very pregnant wife attached to his body. He loved how sexually active she had been since the pregnancy, she always was but it seems to have doubled and he wasn't sure he'd ever get sick of it. He didn't even realize she was up but when he felt the wet kisses down his neck he realized she was up and ready to go- again.

"Morning" Punk smiled glancing over to her

"Morning baby" she whispered

"Aren't you tired yet?" Punk asked her with a laugh

"Are you turning down morning sex?" AJ asked looking at him "That's your favorite kind"

"I wouldn't turn it down in the morning, afternoon or night" Punk grinned as she sat up and straddled his body. He was at eye level with her protruding stomach and sat up slightly and kissed it sweetly.

"You really love doing that don't you?" AJ smiled looking down at him

"I do" Punk smiled as he rested head against the pillow and let AJ take control. "You're already ready for me" he smiled feeling the wetness on his torso coming from her own body

"I've been ready for you for three hours" she admitted without shame as she inched down his body slightly "I was just waiting for you to wake up"

"I told you- always wake me up if first of all you think someone is breaking in, second of all if the place is on fire or third and most important when you want to have sex" Punk said seriously as she giggled.

"Hold on baby" she said leaning down and kissing his lips quickly. She sat up and raised her hips and lowered herself onto his already throbbing member. Punk arched his hips into her from his position and began a rather fast paced rhythm with her.

"Babe…" he muttered feeling himself start to let go "Oh fuck" he groaned as she dropped even harder onto his body. Punk began to sit up and tried to wrap his arm around her waist in an attempt to slow her down so he wouldn't 'pop' so to speak before she did but she forcefully pushed him back down onto the bed

"No" she warned lustfully "This is too good" she whispered as she bent her neck back and looked up at the ceiling as she took in all of the pleasure. Her even looking that way almost made him lose control. "I'm so close" she said still looking up

"I'm closer" He muttered and used the fact that she was looking up to quickly sit up and press her chest into his. His fingers quickly moved over her clit and he began to massage it.

"So good" she said wrapping her hands around his neck

"Come on baby" he encouraged as she continued to move on top of him "Cum for me" he whispered hoarsely into her ear and she did just as he did. Just as they both climaxed Punk couldn't silence AJ even if he tried she was so loud that he barely heard the doorbell ring. "Shit" he muttered

"What?" she asked feeling completely dazed as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead

"The door, someone is at the door" Punk said as he carefully lifted AJ off of him and reached for a pair of a shorts and quickly pulled them on. The doorbell rang again

"Who is that this time in the morning?" AJ asked him

"I don't know but I'm about to find out" Punk said annoyed as he stormed out of the room. The only thing worse than interrupting Punk before he had sex was interrupting him right after, after sex was the most peaceful time for him and he was looking forward to having his wife curled up to him for the rest of the day preferably.

* * *

As soon as Punk reached the door he looked out and saw it was only Cliff.

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked annoyed

"Don't tell me you're mad at me too" Cliff said annoyed stepping in

"I wasn't but I am now" Punk said to him slamming the door

"I need to talk to AJ" Cliff said to him looking around "Is she here?"

"She's busy" Punk said quickly "We're busy actually" Cliff turned and saw Punk was covered in sweat and saw he was only wearing boxers

"Oh sorry" Cliff smirked scratching the back of his head

"Yea me too" Punk remarked

"Why did you even answer the door?" Cliff asked "I wouldn't have"

"I thought it was someone important" Punk shot at him

"How important could I have been since I knew the code to your gate?" Cliff mocked "Maybe you just can't keep up with your crazy horny wife"

"First of all I could keep up" Punk warned "I kept all night and morning as a matter of fact"

"Erica likes it in the morning too" Cliff grinned but that's when Punk frowned

"Ew come on" Punk said annoyed

"I'm just saying maybe it's a Mendez thing" Cliff shrugged innocently

"Why are you here again?" Punk asked trying to get off the topic

"AJ" Cliff said and Punk slowly nodded "I want to talk to her about last night"

"I know you mean well but I can't have you or Erica upsetting her anymore" Punk told him "Give her a couple of days to cool off at least"

"I don't want to upset her believe me" Cliff said to him

"I know" Punk said quietly "You have to understand her feelings are all over the place and she may have come across as rude last night but she's really only looking out for you"

"I get that" Cliff said to him "I just hate this awkwardness between us"

"Hey Cliff" AJ said coming down the stairs. She was fully dressed in one of Punk's shirts and shorts.

"Hey sorry for dropping by so early" Cliff said with a light smile

"It's fine" AJ said to him "Can you take Louie out for his walk?" she asked Punk "He's getting a little stir crazy"

"Yea let me just go throw on a shirt" Punk said leaving the two and heading up stairs

"Are you ok?" Cliff asked and she nodded as she took a seat on the couch

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings last night" AJ told him honestly "None of this is about you and I don't want you to think I'm acting this way because I don't think you're a good man" she told him quickly "I just think you're not seeing clearly"

"But I am" Cliff said to her taking a seat next to her "I'm crazy about Erica and she's going to be with me for as long as she'll have me"

"So another week and this will all be over?" AJ asked hopefully but saw the pained looked on Cliff's face "I'm sorry" she said quickly

"I'm not asking you to make up with her and be her best friend but just try to be civil" he pleaded lightly "If I'm making a mistake than it's my mistake to make. We started together because she was asking about you. She wanted to know what had been going with you because she genuinely cares about you"

"Today" AJ said simply "Tomorrow she'll just leave"

"She told me about the promise she made you when you were younger" Colt said to her and that surprised AJ "She hates that she didn't keep it but she didn't think she was good enough"

"Please don't defend her to me" AJ said to him

"Ok" Colt said to her "I don't want to get involved in your relationship just like I don't want you to get involved in mine. I have supported you and stood by you through everything this past year I'm just asking that you return the favor" AJ eyed him then her eyes softened

"When did you get so wise?" AJ asked almost bitterly

"I only pull this side out when absolutely necessary" Cliff teased

"I don't want to lose you" AJ said to him "What if Erica and I never make up? You're never going to come around anymore"

"I'll always be around" Cliff assured her "You can't get rid of me"

"Good" she said as he pulled her into a hug

* * *

Dan Jacobs was dressed casually but still discreetly as he paced back and forth by a payphone. He looked at his watch and increased his pacing. Who even used payphones today away? He asked himself and that's when the phone rang and he quickly answered it.

"Hello?" Dan asked

"It's me" the cool voice of Christian responded

"Hey bro" Dan said nervously

"What have I told you about calling me that?" Christian asked "It wasn't easy to get this cell phone so tell me what I need to know in less than sixty seconds"

"I got on the property, I've seen the husband and April briefly" Dan said to him "She's got a little heavy if I'm being honest"

"She's pregnant you nitwit!" Christian hissed

"Oh yea I forgot" Dan laughed

"You have the pass code to their gate?" Christian asked him

"Yes sir and every night I work I map out the grounds" Dan told him "What are you going to do with all of this information anyway? I mean you're in prison…"

"Not for much longer" Christian informed him "I've got some friends in the senate"

"She's going to know" Dan said to him "How about you just let me take care of her for you, you know to make up for the last few mistakes I made?"

"You mean coming off as a creep forcing AJ not to trust you and ruined all of our plans?" Christian mocked "No thank you. Your track record is less than stellar I don't need you screwing this up for me"

"I can kill someone" Dan defended harshly

"Oh really?" Christian questioned

"Yes" Dan said seriously

"That's wonderful to hear except that's not my plan" Christian told him

"I thought it was" Dan said confused

"It was but she is with child, she is carrying life inside of her" Christian pointed out "I'm not some sort of a monster"

"So what are you going to do?" Dan asked him

"Don't worry about that. Just get to know their place backwards and forward" Christian told him

"You want me inside?" Dan asked nervously

"Yes try to do it when they're not home preferably" Christian mocked

"No duh" Dan said annoyed

"Bring me a token" Christian said to him and now Dan was more confused

"Like what?" Dan asked him

"I'm still going to be in here a few weeks, bring something to remind me of her" Christian told her "I've almost forgotten what she smells like"

"Um ok" Dan said slowly "How do I get it to you?"

"Pass it off to one of my men and they'll see to it I get" Christian said to him "Do not screw this up Daniel" he warned then hung up

"I'm not a screw up!" Dan screamed into the phone even though he knew Christian couldn't hear him "I'll show you" he hissed then slammed the phone down earning some strange looks from people walking by "I'll show all of you!" Dan screamed then stormed off


	65. Security Blanket

**Chapter 65: Security Blanket**

* * *

Punk was heading out to a Blackhawaks game tonight. It would be the first time he'd be around a big group of people since walking out of the WWE. AJ had to practically throw him out of the house tonight.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Punk asked

"I told you a thousand times the last thing I want to do is sit front row and watch a Hockey game being almost six months pregnant" AJ smirked get comfortable on the couch with Louie right at her side

"Alright" Punk said looking at the time on his phone "Remember that at eight thirty the security team comes around so don't let Louie out"

"I know, I know" AJ said "Just go and have fun"

"Cliff is actually picking me up" Punk told her

"Cliff? Don't you usually go to these games with Colt?" AJ asked him

"Yea but he's out of town doing some appearances so Cliff was my last resort" he told her "I even tried my sisters and they turned me down"

"I think it would be nice to have some bonding time with him" AJ said to him

"It's been a few weeks now" Punk noted "You're going to have to let it go. He's clearly happy with your sister"

"I have let it go" she said bitterly

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Punk asked again and she just rolled her eyes

"No I want to work in the nursery a little bit more today" AJ told him

"What's left to do?" Punk asked "It's painted and all the furniture is in there put to together"

"There's boxes of clothing I want to unpack" AJ informed him "I also have some cool posters I want to hang up in there"

"You want to hang comic book posters in our newborn child's room?" Punk asked her and she just nodded "I knew I married the right woman" he grinned. Louie then jumped off the couch and headed to the door and barked "This dog is seriously great" Punk said as the doorbell rang

"How does he even know I'm here?" Cliff asked as Punk opened the door

"He can smell you from a mile away" Punk retorted as Cliff stepped in and Erica right behind him

"Or he smelt something else" AJ mumbled

"Erica what a pleasant surprise" Punk remarked forcing a smile

"I have something for Ape" Erica said holding up a bag

"A present? Is it Chinese food and peanut butter?" AJ questioned "If it's not I don't want it"

"Ew" Erica said making a disgusted face "It's for the baby" she informed her

"I'm going to drop Erica off on our way to the game" Cliff told AJ as he walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek

"No it's fine" AJ said surprising all three of them "She can stay"

"Really?" Cliff and Punk asked at the same time

"Yes really" AJ said to them "Go to the game and have fun"

"Are you sure?" Punk asked her

"Relax" Erica said to him "I'm not going to hurt her and it's probably best she's not alone anyway."

"AJ?" Punk asked ignoring Erica

"Yes it's fine go have fun" she encouraged as he gave her a kiss on the lips

"Be nice to her" Punk warned Erica

"I'm not some kind of a lunatic" Erica spat "Chill out and try to enjoy yourself at a hockey game. I'm sure for someone as miserable you that's difficult" she shot at him

"I'm the miserable one?" Punk laughed

"Enough let's go" Cliff laughed nervously tugging Punk out the door.

"So do you want your gift?" Erica asked dangling the bag in front of her sister

"Of course I want the gift, I always want gifts. It's the only reason you're still here" AJ said snatching the bag from her. She pulled out a small light green blanket and AJ froze.

"You remember that?" Erica questioned

"Of course" AJ said opening it up to examine it "This was my favorite blanket"

"Yea you used to bring it everywhere with you or should I say wear it" Erica laughed taking a seat next to her "I used to call you a baby because you carried it around with you until you were eleven"

"I told you it was my cape" AJ said smiling at the blanket

"Yup" Erica confirmed "You said it would keep you safe and the night before I left, you gave it to me so I would stay safe"

"You kept it all of these years?" AJ asked surprised

"Of course" Erica smiled "No matter where I ended up I always kept it with me. I thought it would be a nice thing to pass down to your son"

"This is very thoughtful" AJ said holding back tears

"Are you crying?" Erica asked stunned. AJ was never one to cry even when she was younger

"I always cry" AJ admitted as she began to freely cry "It's hormones. I cried during one of those cigarette commercials before"

"Well stop it you've always been the strong one" Erica said to her seriously "Lucky for little Phillip or whatever you're going to call him you were such tomboy you had a green blanket"

"Are you being sincere?" AJ asked her sister "And it's not just for my benefit but for Cliff's too"

"Yes" Erica said honestly "I wasn't planning on hanging around but I was planning on keeping in touch with you- the stuff with Cliff just happened. And he is truly an amazing guy. I've never been with a man who opens doors for me or pulls out chairs for me" she said smiling at the thought "I know you care about him and I do too. I also know how much you mean to me and I want to make this work with us" she told AJ "I kind of want to be an aunt" she said with a smile "What do you say?" she asked hopefully

"I say…I was going to work on the baby's room tonight, do you want to see it?" AJ asked Erica

"Yes I would" Erica said happily.

* * *

After unpacking some things for about an hour AJ was surprised by how well it was going with Erica. She seemed genuinely interested in the baby's room and mocked everything she hated which was most of it- AJ actually didn't mind because it was classic Erica.

"I have another box" AJ said as Erica followed her into a different room. This room was covered in boxes

"How many rooms do you have here?" Erica mocked turning on the light so AJ could see

"There's six bedrooms" AJ said to her "This is the only one that we haven't finished yet. We're still deciding on what to do with it. We're thinking a playroom for the baby"

"So until than it's an oversized storage closet?" Erica teased

"Something like that" AJ mumbled looking at the top of boxes and went to reach for one that was high up

"I got it" Erica said reaching over her and grabbing it "You're still short and you probably shouldn't be lifting things." She said knocking over another box in the process

"You're short too" AJ reminded her as both bent over to pick up the items that fell out

"What is all of this?" Erica asked looking at all of those newspapers "Don't tell me Punk is some crazy newspaper hoarders"

"No those are just the articles we made" AJ said to him "Punk didn't want to keep them but I did"

"You want to hold onto all these horrible memories?" Erica asked opening one paper "WWE Diva abducted at Live Event" she read out loud then folded it back up and placed it back in the box "You shouldn't keep these. You'll never be able to let this all go if you're constantly reminded"

"It's not like I come in here and read them" AJ shot at her sister as she picked up another paper. She starred very closely at this article "What?"

"This one" Erica said unsurely pointing at the picture. It had a picture of both Christian and Dan Jacobs. "I know him"

"I'm pretty sure you met Christian at one time or another" AJ said to her

"No not that psychopath" Erica said annoyed "This psychopath" she said pointing at the photo of Dan "I know him"

"You know him?" AJ asked alarmed "How?"

"I don't know but I know I've seen him before" Erica said to her "I just can't place him"

"Does he come into your job?" AJ asked her "If he's approached you he might be trying to hurt you-"

"No it's something else I just can't place it" Erica said to her "What's his story?"

"He's Christians half brother or step brother" AJ shrugged "He's also a cop and is the one that lured me and Phil to the police station so Christian could kill me"

"Ugh" Erica said disgusted tossing the paper into the box "I really am sorry for everything Christian has put you through"

"I know" AJ said quietly "But it's over"

"I hope so" Erica said to her "Cliff has told me stories about him and honestly they make me sick and you know it takes a lot to turn my stomach. He event old me about him taking you to the police station, he was really upset about it"

"It wasn't his fault" AJ informed her

"It just goes to show what a great guy he is" Erica said with a smile "He still carries a lot of guilt over that"

"So what else has Cliff told you?" AJ asked curiously

"He told me about that chick Eve" Erica said to her "If you want I'll punch her in the face for ya" she smiled proudly

"Not necessary" AJ smirked "I hit her myself actually"

"Good for you Ape" Erica said proudly "So you both are over that obviously"

"He was in a bad place" AJ said to her and Erica just nodded as she picked up more items "Don't judge you weren't there you have no idea how tough things were"

"I'm not judging believe me I'm no one to judge" Erica said seriously "The story just surprised me. Punk seemed obsessed up with you that's all"

"I know you don't like him" AJ said to her

"I do like him" Erica said to her "He clearly makes you happy and he's saved your life on occasion, how could I hate that? He's a bit rough around the edges but it's nothing a Mendez girl can't handle- obviously"

"He's really completed me" AJ admitted

"I can see that" Erica said to her "It's kind how I feel about Cliff and you don't get judge me either. From what I heard you and Punk barely knew each other before you were rolling in the hay together"

"I'm not judging" AJ said to her

"It's just I've always felt alone like I had no one but now finally I feel as if I have someone in my corner" Erica said to her "I know it sounds stupid-"

"It doesn't" AJ said to her softly "I've told Phil the same thing"

"I mean even his crappy smelly apartment feels like home to me" Erica laughed "I've never had a home"

"Well don't take it for granted" AJ warned

"I don't plan on it" Erica told her seriously "Enough of this mushy crap" she said standing up "Let's get this box in the other room" she said dragging the heavy box out of the room but stopped when she heard Louie barking like crazy "What's wrong with your dog?"

"It's the night security guard" AJ said to her "He watches him through the windows" she laughed

"Oh yea I think that's weird that you have that" Erica laughed then froze again

"What's wrong?" AJ asked her

"That's how I know that guy!" Erica shouted standing straight "That guy from the picture I bumped into him a few weeks ago after that dinner, he was outside working security! Why would you hire him to do your security?" she asked her sister

"You're mistaken" AJ laughed "Punk has looked into all of our security guards and believe me he'd know if one of them was Dan"

"I'm telling you Ape I know what I saw" Erica said sternly "You stay up here and I'll go outside and look for myself"

"No" AJ hissed grabbing her arm "You can't go out there he's crazy"

"I'll call the police first" Erica said to her "But stay up here" she said lightly pushing AJ into the nursery

"No" AJ said pulling out of her grasp "I'm going to call the Detective on the case and we're both going to stay up here" she said closing the door and locking it and pulling out her phone

"I'll text Cliff" Erica said pulling out her own phone

"Maybe we should just let Louie out" AJ suggested

"Good idea" Erica said to her "You call the cop and I'll sick Louie on him" she said quickly walking out of the room.

* * *

Once Erica made it down the stairs she saw Louie at the back kitchen door barking at the security guard.

"Ok you crazy dog" Erica whispered to the dog as she slowly unlocked the door "Get him boy" she encouraged as she swung open the back door and Louie jetted for the intruder and quickly tackled him to the ground. AJ raced down the steps and followed Erica as she approached the man who was screaming in pain

"Get this dog off of me!" the guard yelled trying to pry his arm away "Ow!" he screamed

"Louie heel" AJ ordered

"Don't heel- kill!" Erica commanded but the dog listened to AJ. AJ pulled the cap off of the guard and sighed when she saw it wasn't Dan.

"I thought we discussed with your husband what time we'd be coming by" the guard said sitting up rubbing his arm

"I am so sorry" AJ said quickly "I thought you were someone else. Is this the man you saw?" she asked Erica

"No!" Erica said quickly "It was that guy Dan!"

"Well this isn't Dan" AJ said helping the man up "Come inside please" AJ insisted

"No that's ok" the security guard said

"You might be bleeding" AJ insisted

"Really Mrs. Brooks it's fine" he assured her "Just be more careful next time. Someone else would have shot the dog" he said to her

"I know and I'm sorry again" AJ said quickly

"Are you here every night?" Erica asked the guard

"Ever night" He confirmed

"Do you remember bumping into me a few weeks ago?" Erica asked him

"No Miss I'm afraid not" the guard said to her

"You've been the guard here every single night of the week?" Erica asked slowly

"I was out sick a few weeks ago for a couple of nights" the guard told her "But one of the guys from the earlier shifts should have taken over my patrol"

"Ok well go get that arm checked" she said playfully slapping his arm and he hissed in pain "Opps sorry" she said with an apologetic smile

"Erica" AJ hissed grabbing her by the arm and leading her back inside "We almost killed the security guard"

"That crazy guy was here a few weeks ago Ape I know it" Erica said to her seriously "I'm not apologizing because one guard got a dog bite"

"He's a German Shepherd" AJ reminded her "He could have seriously been hurt"

"He's a great guard dog" Erica smiled

* * *

About half an hour later Claudette was in the house with two patrol officers and Punk and Cliff arrived back from the game.

"AJ" Punk said quickly entering the house and racing towards his wife who was sitting on the armchair "What the hell happened?"

"It was all a big misunderstanding" Claudette assured him

"I know what I saw" Erica shot at the Detective

"Erica please don't argue" AJ argued placing her head in her hand "I'm getting a bad headache"

"What happened?" Punk demanded

"After our dinner a few weeks I bumped into one of the guards and today I saw a picture of Dan Jacobs and it was him" Erica told Punk

"What?" Cliff asked her "Are you sure?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Erica asked annoyed "It was him we spoke a few words and made eye contact. I know it was him and I asked your current night guard and he told me he was out sick during that time so obviously I'm right but the police don't believe me"

"I don't know" Cliff agreed "I don't think he could exactly get a job in the security business"

"Maybe he stole the uniform" Punk suggested

"You believe this?" AJ asked him

"I think anything is possible" Punk said to her "You are going to look into this right?" he asked Claudette

"Of course" the older woman assured him

"Oh now you're going to look into this" Erica remarked with an eye-roll

"I don't think we're going to get much but I'll put in a call and the security footage from that evening" Claudette said to her

"Maybe you should just do your job" Erica said to the officer

"Erica" AJ hissed

"No" Erica said AJ then looked at the Detective "This is my sister's safety on the line here and it's not just her it's her child too. The Chicago PD has seriously dropped the ball on this"

"She's right" Punk said agreeing with Erica

"We don't even know if that was him" Claudette said to him

"Why would she make that up?" Punk questioned

"I'm not saying she is but maybe it was someone who looked familiar" Claudette told him

"I'm good with faces- I never forget one" Erica told the Detective "Tell her Ape" she said to AJ who just nodded slightly to appease her sister

"If he was here why didn't he try anything?" Cliff asked the group

"Maybe the fact that Punk was home and we were all here too scared him off" Erica shrugged

"Or maybe he wasn't here to hurt AJ" Punk suggested "Maybe he was doing research. Either way he has codes to my gate and knows the grounds of our house now"

"If it was him" Claudette reminded him

"It was him" Erica said to her seriously

"I'm going to call the security company" Punk said to them "You should go lay down" he said to AJ

"I will in a little bit" she said sweetly to him as he kissed the top of her head "Oh and apologize to Sam for me- Louie took a chunk out of him tonight"

"Love that dog" Punk mumbled to himself as he walked out of the living room

"I'll call you as soon as I have an update Mrs. Brooks" Claudette said kindly to her "Ms. Mendez" she said almost bitterly to Erica then walked out the house with the two other officers

"You just make friends everywhere you go" Cliff said teasing Erica

"She's a bitch" Erica told him bluntly "And she sucks at her job"

"She's been very nice to me" AJ said to her

"Well that's swell" Erica mocked "How about instead of being nice she does her job" Erica looked over and saw AJ was crying- again

"Oh no" Cliff said walking over to AJ "What is it?"

"I'm just really tied" she sniffled as Cliff passed her a tissue

"She's been crying on and off all night" Erica told him

"And now this nightmare that I thought was over really isn't over and my poor son is going to grow up living in fear like his mother" she sobbed out placing her face in her hands

"Oh that's not going to happen" Cliff said rubbing her back trying to sooth her "Everything is ok, nothing happened"

"AJ pull yourself together" Erica said to her "Mendez girls don't cry they get up and kick people you know this"

"Erica please" Cliff pleaded lightly

"She needs to toughen up" Erica whispered to Cliff "I'm doing her a favor"

"I can't always be tough" AJ said looking up at her sister "I've been tough for a year and now I just want to crawl into bed and cry myself to sleep, is that so much to ask for?" even Erica frowned at her sister's broken state

"No it's not" Erica said quietly "But you really have nothing to worry about that dog that lives here and Louie want let anything happen to you" she laughed at her own joke referring to Punk as dog but AJ wasn't amused "Neither will Cliff or I" she told her

"She's right" Cliff smirked

"Come on let me help you upstairs" Erica said helping AJ out of the chair

"I should wait for Phil" AJ said as Erica led her to the stairs

"He'll know where to find you" Erica smirked as she held onto AJ's arm and guided her up the stairs.

* * *

AJ was in bed with Louie with all the lights off. She heard footsteps enter the room and knew Punk had made his way upstairs. Louie was instantly on guard and stood on the bed and started to growl.

"It's just me Louie" Punk said and the dog knew Punk's voice and ran off the bed and out of the room. She felt the bed moved and knew he was lying next to her and wrapped his arm around her and kissed her bare shoulder. "How's your headache?"

"It's dulling" she sniffled

"It could be nothing" Punk told her

"Or it could mean this is starting up all over again" she countered

"I told you I won't let anything happen to you" Punk reminded her sweetly

"It's not just us anymore" AJ reminded him "We've got a child."

"Yea you two are kind of package deal" she could feel him smile behind her "It's going to be ok"

"I knew this was all too good to be true" AJ said to him "It's been too quiet"

"If Dan Jacobs is the biggest obstacle we have to overcome then I'm not worried" he said to her "He's an idiot"

"Smart enough to pose as one of our security workers" AJ said to him

"Not smart enough to do any damage" Punk shot back

"It just means something bigger" AJ said to him "He's got to be working for Christian he's planning something"

"How much could he be planning in prison?" Punk asked her

"He's got guards working with him and god knows who else" AJ said to him "We're so close to having the baby if something goes wrong-"

"Nothing will go wrong" Punk said cutting her off

"I wish I could just get talk to Christian and get a feel of what-" AJ started

"Absolutely not" Punk said in an almost angry voice "You are not going to see him- ever. Do you understand?"

"I won't" AJ said to him

"I could go see him" Punk suggested

"No that's too dangerous" AJ said seriously

"I'll go with Claudette" Punk said to her "We'll talk to him and see if slips up or something"

"You can't trust anyone" AJ said rolling over onto her back and looking at him "I thought I was safe when I went to see him"

"He knew you were coming" Punk reminded her "He won't see me coming and I'm sure he doesn't want to do to me what he tried to do to you"

"I don't want you to go" AJ said to him softly

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now you need to sleep" Punk said to her

"I can't sleep" AJ said to him

"So tell me what you and Erica did tonight before the security incident?" Punk asked her as he rubbed her arm up and down

"We worked on the baby's room" AJ said to him softly "We pretty much finished everything"

"Did you two get along ok?" Punk asked

"Yea" she admitted

"What was in the bag she gave you?" Punk asked

"It was my blanket from what I was kid" AJ said to him "Or more like a cape at least that's how I used it"

"You must have been the coolest kid" Punk said with a smile "We would have been best friends"

"Yea I was a real guy magnet" she snorted a laugh

"I would have loved you" Punk said to her seriously

"It was nice that she kept the blanket all these years. I gave it to her so she'd feel safe when she took off" AJ confided "She thought it would be a nice gift for PJ"

"Oh no way" Punk said seriously "We're not calling our song that"

"It's short for Phillip Jr." AJ said to him "I want our son to have your name. Please?"

"Fine as long as you promise to never- ever call him PJ again" he said deathly serious

"Ok I promise" she said happily "We can call him Philly" she teased as she closed her eyes and heard him groan "That's cute!"

"No AJ it's not cute" Punk said to her "We're giving him a kick ass middle name and that's what we'll call him"

"We'll let's see what he's like when he comes out and what name suits him" AJ suggested

"So Phillip could be off the table?" Punk asked hopefully

"Not a chance in hell" She said to him "I meant for his middle name. I want our son to be just like you"

"You'll be outnumbered" Punk warned

"Oh please" she laughed at the idea of Punk and their son being able to join forces against her "I always win, haven't you learned that yet?"

"Oh no it's going to be the boys against you" Punk said to her "Even Louie is going to join us"

"Doubt it" she snorted "You all will be wrapped around my little dainty finger and you won't even realize it"

"Ok sweetheart" he said kissing the top of her head

"You know what?" she started "I really think some cold ice cream would make me feel better" and she quickly felt Punk jump out of the bed "And if you could make some of those pizza bites I'd really appreciate it"

"Anything else?" he asked her and she just smiled at him

"See? You don't even realize it" she laughed holding up her finger then motioned for him to come into the bed "Just hold me until I fall asleep" she instructed

"Yes master" he said seriously as he got back into the bed and pulled her back into his chest as he rested his hand over her stomach "You know you're safe right? No matter what I've got your back- both of your backs"

"I know" she said grabbing his hand and kissing it lightly

* * *

**A/N: How is everyone feeling about Erica now? Will Punk go visit Christian? Will Cliff and Erica last? Find out! Also thanks for all the reviews! **


	66. Token

**Chapter 66: Token**

* * *

The next morning Punk was on the phone with the security company, Claudette Williams and other security teams in case he decided to switch companies. AJ on the other hand slept in late and only woke up when she heard the doorbell ring. She headed down the steps and saw Cliff and Erica talking with Punk in the living room.

"Good morning" Cliff smiled "How is mom feeling today?"

"She's tired and I can already tell I'm grumpy" she said to him

"Did you get any sleep?" Erica asked sipping on a cup of coffee

"It took me a while to fall asleep but once I did I was out like a light" AJ said to her "So what's going on? Have you heard anything?"

"Detective Williams got the footage from that night and they saw the guard that Erica bumped into but it's impossible to see his face. It was too dark and he had a cap on" Punk admitted

"What do you think?" she asked her husband

"I don't know" Punk said to her "It's possible but I wish I had some proof."

"I saw him- how much proof do you need?" Erica asked annoyed

"Well I'm taking precautions" Punk told her then looked at AJ "I'm meeting with all the security guards and they're going to check in when they arrive and when they leave"

"We're not always here" AJ reminded him

"Well we're going to make sure we're here at those times for now" Punk said simply "As a matter of fact Cliff is going to be here for the afternoon guard"

"Where are you going?" AJ asked him

"I'm going down to the prison" Punk told her simply and clearly she wasn't pleased

"Can I talk to you in the other room?" she asked him then turned and headed into the kitchen. He followed her in and knew this was going to be an argument "I thought we discussed this last night"

"I have to see him" Punk told her

"It's not safe" she said to him "What if he jumps your or locks you in a room-"

"It won't happen" Punk said to her

"How can you be so sure?" AJ asked "Why would you even consider putting yourself in this kind of a situation right now?"

"For your safety" Punk told her

"Well what about your safety?" AJ questioned "Why is my safety such an issue but you have no regard for your own?"

"I do care about my safety I just care about yours and our sons more" Punk said to her

"Yours is just as important!" AJ yelled "You're going to be a father- you're already a father" she said grabbing his hand and placing it on her large stomach so he could feel their son kicking "See he doesn't want you to do this either"

"I'm tough kid" Punk said to her stomach "I won't be long"

"Well I'm going with you" AJ said to him

"No you're not" he shot back "Out of the question"

"I won't go in I'll just sit in the waiting are" AJ said to him

"No AJ I don't want my six month pregnant wife hanging around a prison" Punk told her and she knew he wouldn't be budging on any of this

"How come I have to abide by all of your rules but you get to do whatever you want?" AJ asked him "You are so stubborn!" she turned and stormed out of the kitchen

"How'd that go?" Cliff asked inching his way into the kitchen

"She's pissed" Punk admitted "But I expected that"

"She's not wrong" Cliff said to him "What makes you think you're going to have a better outcome than AJ?"

"Because I'm going in with the Detective on the case" Punk said to him

"I still think it's a waste of time and a stupid risk so close to the birth of your child" Cliff admitted

"My child is the reason I'm doing this" Punk said to him

"Do you really think you're going to answers?" Cliff asked "I've never even met the guy and I already know he's going to bullshit you. So why even bother?"

"Because I need to feel like I'm doing something that's why" Punk said to him "I can't just sit here and call people I need to be out there doing something"

"I think you're making a mistake" Cliff said to him "And you're upsetting your pregnant wife for no good reason. If it was this Dan guy maybe he's doing this without Christian's say"

"That puppet doesn't do anything without Christian's approval" Punk spat "I'm going to the prison and I need you to stay here with AJ, can you do that?"

"Yes" Cliff assured him "Just be careful"

"I will" Punk said to him

* * *

Punk met up with Claudette at the prison and he was taken to a large room where there were other people visiting inmates. This time Christian would be behind glass and they would communicate over a phone. Punk took a seat and waited for Christian to be bought in. Once Christian realized Punk was his visitor he smiled before taking a seat across from him and picking up the phone. Punk hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone and mentally thanked Claudette for making sure he was behind glass because Punk wanted to strangle the smug man sitting across from him already and he hadn't even spoke yet.

"Mr. Brooks" Christian said as soon as Punk put the phone to his ear "I expected to see you much sooner"

"I've been busy" Punk retorted coldly

"Oh really?" Christian laughed lightly "It's not like you have a job- didn't think I knew that did you?"

"I think you know a lot actually" Punk said to him "Way more than you should"

"Probably" Christian said simply "How is our girl?"

"I'm not here to talk about her" Punk said quickly

"Well why else would you be here? We have nothing else in common" Christian said seriously "Looking forward to the birth of your son?" he questioned "He's due in January is he not?" Punk swallowed the lump in his throat "It's right around the corner"

"I'm not talking about that" Punk warned "Don't mention my kid or wife again"

"So why are you here Mr. Brooks?" Christian asked simply

"Dan Jacobs" Punk said and he saw Christian roll his eyes at the name

"He's an idiot" Christian informed him

"Why did you send him to my house?" Punk asked

"I'm in prison" Christian defended lightly "I can't send anyone anywhere"

"You still have power, friends- I know you're probably having all favors done for you in and out of this place" Punk said to him "What are you hoping to accomplish by sending that moron to my house?"

"I have no idea what you're referring to" Christian said simply "But it does explain a lot"

"What do you mean?" Punk asked

"Someone sent me something" Christian said with a smile "I guess it was Dan"

"Don't talk in riddles or waste my time" Punk warned "What the hell are you talking about?"

"This" he said reaching into his pocket and pulling something out "Look familiar?" he questioned with a grin pressing the item against the glass. Punk did recognize the item in his hand

"It's your wife's underwear" Christian said to him "I wasn't sure at first but once I smelt them I knew it was hers" he said smiling pressing the garment to his face "Does she still taste as sweet as she smells?" Punk slammed the phone that was attached to the wall into the window and shot up out of the chair. He knew Christian would play mind games but he still couldn't control his anger. He watched as Christian just laughed at his reaction and Punk reached for his chair and began to lift it to throw into the window but two guards grabbed him and ushered him out of the room.

"So I'd ask how it went but I got my answer" Claudette said to him simply

"He was in my house" Punk shot at her feeling his blood boil

"You have proof?" Claudette frowned

"He had her underwear" Punk said as his voice got higher "He was sniffing them right in front of my fucking face!"

"We'll have his cell searched" Claudette said to him

"I don't want him to have them!" Punk shouted

"Are you sure they were your wife's?" Claudette asked him

"Search him!" Punk yelled

"We will" Claudette tried to assure him

"I need to call my wife" Punk said pulling out his phone "This guy has access into my house"

"That's a good idea" Claudette said to him "I'm assuming you're going to want to stay until the search is over?"

"Yes and I want to know how much more time is going to be added to his sentence" Punk spat

"It's not illegal" Claudette said to him "He didn't physically go in and take them and the only way he could have gotten the items is through the mail"

"Of course" Punk mocked "The only time this guy gets into trouble is when he turns himself in"

"Call home and tell your wife we're working on it" Claudette said to him "I'm going to speak to the warden. You wait here" she instructed him

"Unbelievable" Punk muttered as he waited for Cliff to pick up his phone

"Hey you ok?" Cliff asked

"Yea look I need you to make sure everything is locked up" Punk said to him

"What's going on?" Cliff asked him

"I don't want to get into details over the phone but Dan has been in the house" Punk told him

"Are you serious?" Cliff asked stunned

"Yea just make sure AJ is taken care of" Punk instructed "And make sure Louie is with her. He'll go after anyone"

"Yea I know so how did he get in the house to begin with?" Cliff asked him

"Must have been at a time we took Louie out with us" Punk said to him "I really don't know but I'm going to be here for a little while longer."

"Do you want to talk to AJ?" Cliff asked

"No I don't want to worry her and I'd much rather talk to her about this in person" Punk said to her

"She's pretty pissed off" Cliff said to him "Maybe you should just talk to her and let her know you're ok" he suggested

"Yea ok put her on" Punk said quickly and after a few minutes he heard her voice

"Hey" AJ said quietly

"Hi" Punk said to her "I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" she asked him

"Yes" he said almost laughing "But I'm going to be here a little while longer"

"Why is that?" AJ asked him "Are you going to see him again?"

"No but Claudette wants to go over some things with me" Punk told her

"What aren't you telling me?" AJ demanded

"I'll talk to you when I get home" Punk assured her "Just hang out with your sister and Cliff and I'll be home before you know it"

"I hate being kept in the dark" AJ warned

"I'm not keeping you in the dark but it's a lot to explain over the phone" Punk said to her

"You're freaking me out" AJ said to him

"Don't freak out everything is fine" he blatantly lied "I'll be home before you know it"

"Ok" she said to him

"I've got to go but please just try to relax and keep your feet up" Punk said to her

"Alright I love you" she said in almost defeated voice that nearly broke his heart

"I love you too" he said before he heard her hung up

AJ passed Cliff back his phone and looked annoyed.

"Everything ok?" Erica asked

"He's keeping something from me" AJ said to her "What did he tell you?"

"Nothing" Cliff said quickly

"You're lying" AJ shot at him "I have a right to know"

"He really didn't tell me much" Cliff defended

"Are you sure?" Erica asked him

"Come on I don't stand a chance against you two" Cliff groaned "He said he'd talk to me when he got home"

"Great so I'll just sit around and wait for him" She said annoyed as she stood up

"Where are you going?" Cliff asked also standing up

"The bathroom, want to join me?" AJ mocked annoyed as she headed into the nearest bathroom

"What aren't you saying" Erica demanded

"I really don't know much" Cliff said to her "But he seems positive that Dan has been the house. I don't know how he knows this but he's pretty confidant about it"

"Holy crap" Erica muttered "Well she can't stay here"

"She'll be safe here" Cliff argued lightly

"Are you crazy? This guy has already been in here once!" Erica pointed out "She's a sitting duck here and physical she can't even defend herself"

"Let's not make any rash decisions yet. Let's just wait for Punk to get here ok?" Cliff suggested

"She's not safe here" Erica said in a low voice so AJ wouldn't hear her "I mean there has to be-"

"Erica?" AJ asked opening the bathroom door slightly and sticking her head out

"Yea?" Erica asked her

"Can you come in here for a minute?" she asked waving her to the bathroom

"Ew ok" Erica said standing up and walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. After a few minutes Cliff walked to the door and knocked on it.

"Is everything ok?" Cliff asked and that's when the door swung open

"We have to take her to a hospital" Erica said to him and his face fell

"Wait why?" Cliff asked alarmed "What happened?"

"She's bleeding" Erica informed him as she grabbed AJ's jacket and purse

"Where?" Cliff asked feeling himself start to freak out. Erica glared at the response

"Are you kidding me Compton?" Erica asked annoyed

"Oh shit" Cliff said

"Grab your keys you have to drive" Erica said to him

"I should call Punk" Cliff said grabbing his phone but dropped it form nerves

"Listen to me" Erica warned "She's very stressed out right now we need to be extra calm and reassuring to her, ok?" and he just nodded slowly "Get the crazy scared look off your face and pull the car up to the door. We'll call Punk as soon as we get to the hospital"

"Is she-" Cliff started

"Cliff the car" Erica said firmly lightly shaking his shoulders

"Ok, ok" he said grabbing his keys

"Are you going to be ok to drive?" she asked him

"Yea, yea" Cliff said heading out the door to grab the car.

* * *

Punk was waiting to hear from Claudette and thirty minutes later she walked over to him.

"Well?" Punk asked folding his arms

"He did have a pair of female underwear" Claudette said to him "It's not uncommon here"

"They belong to my wife" Punk said to her coldly "That's common? Most inmates sniff around their victims underwear?"

"We really need your wife to come in and claim them" Claudette said and Punk grew more frustrated

"You want me to call my very pregnant wife and ask her to come down to the local prison so she can identify a pair of her underwear?" Punk mocked "I'm trying to keep her stress free not add on to it"

"I understand that" Claudette sympathized

"Do you?" Punk asked her "Because you haven't helped much at all. Did you ask how he got them?"

"It was sent to him. And not from Dan Jacons but a different name and we're looking into it I assure you" Claudette said him

"I can't deal with this" Punk said to her "I'm this close to taking my wife and leaving the country until this is taken care of"

"There's something else we have to discuss" Claudette said to him "And you're really not going to like it"

"What?" Punk asked annoyed

"Mr. Scott has a lot of powerful friends- I'm talking friends in the senate, judges…" Claudette trailed off

"Don't even say it" Punk warned "He's not getting out"

"I am doing everything in my power to see to it that it doesn't happen" Claudette assured him "And so is the DA"

"He tried to kill my wife!" Punk yelled "What kind of crazy bullshit is this!"

"It happens" Claudette told him honestly

"Tell me you're not going to let this happen" Punk said to her

"I am doing everything I can" Claudette said to him

"How long have you known about this?" Punk asked her

"I found out last night" Claudette told him

"What about this Dan Jacobs?" Punk asked "Any leads on him"

"A waitress at a local diner said she had seen him using a pay phone outside of the diner a couple of times a week for the past three weeks" Claudette said to him "We have people watching it just in case but we're assuming that's how he was getting in touch with Mr. Scott"

"Wonderful" Punk muttered "What am I supposed to tell my wife? I'm just supposed to tell her that some lunatic has been sneaking around our home and the guy that tried to knife her is close to getting out of prison?"

"He's not close" Claudette said to him "He has a long way to go yet and is going to need to pull in a lot more favors"

"I just-" Punk started but heard his phone ringing and saw it was Cliff. "Yea?" Punk asked annoyed

"Don't freak out" Cliff said to him and now Punk was alarmed

"What?" Punk asked "Is AJ ok?"

"I don't know" Cliff said to him honestly

"What the fuck do you mean you don't know?" Punk demanded

"I had to take her to the hospital" Cliff said to him nervously

"Why? What happened!" Punk yelled

"She was bleeding or something I don't really know. But she wasn't in pain or anything" Cliff told him

"Bleeding?" Punk asked

"Yea I don't know what's going on but Erica is with her-" Cliff started

"I'm on my way, call me as soon as you hear anything" Punk said then hung up

"Is everything alright?" Claudette asked

"I've got to go" Punk said quickly then raced out of the police station


	67. Helping Hand

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad people are still reading :)**

* * *

**Chapter 67: Helping Hand**

* * *

Punk made it to the hospital in record time. He ran through the ER entrance and found Colt and Erica in the waiting area.

"Where is she?" Punk asked

"She's in with a doctor" Erica said to him as she stood up "It wasn't a lot of blood and she wasn't in pain but it's better to be safer than sorry"

"Why was she bleeding?" Punk asked.

"I don't know" Erica said to him "Could be one of a hundred things"

"She's been so careful" Punk argued "She's always resting, she's eating right-"

"Just wait for the doctor" Erica said to him

"How long has she been in with the doctor?" Punk asked anxiously

"About half an hour" Erica said "Just sit down and try to stay calm"

"That's not going to happen" Punk said quickly "I'm going to talk to the nurse or something" he then walked away and headed to the nurses station

"Do you think she's ok?" Cliff asked

"You two are making me nervous" Erica said to him taking a seat next to him

"I can't help it" Cliff said anxiously "I'm worried. I mean it's too soon for her to have the baby right?"

"She wasn't in pain which meant she wasn't having contractions" Erica pointed out "She's not having the baby"

"Do you think he's hurt?" Cliff asked

"I'm sure everything is fine" she said placing her hand on his jumping knee "Just keep positive thoughts"

"They have had such shitty luck though" Cliff told her "If something happens to the baby-"

"Nothing is going to happen to the baby" Erica said confidently

"What did the nurse say?" Cliff asked Punk who wandered back over

"They're all useless" Punk muttered

"You should be nice to them" Erica scolded

"Well they should have some information for me" Punk shot back

"What happened at the police station?" Cliff asked him

"I can't even think about that right now" Punk said running his hands over his face

"Mr. Brooks" A nurse said waving him over "Your wife wants to see you" he followed her down the hall and into the area where AJ was.

"You didn't have to come here" AJ said to him

"Are you kidding me?" Punk asked "What happened?"

"She had some light bleeding" The doctor said to him

"Is the baby ok?" Punk asked him

"Yes the baby is fine and so is your wife" The Doctor said to him

"So what happened?" Punk asked "She shouldn't be bleeding"

"It could be a number of different things but I have orders your wife to bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy" The doctor told him

"I still have almost three months" AJ argued

"The bleeding could be caused from stress" The doctor said to her "You mentioned you guys moved recently- it could be too much activity"

"She'll stay in bed" Punk assured him

"Not literally bed rest though right? I can still do things" AJ asked the doctor

"Literal bed rest" the doctor laughed "You can go to the bathroom, take shower, move from room to room but no walking the dog, no working out, no moving things, no cleaning- just rest" he clarified

"Done" Punk said to her "But she's ok?"

"Yes she's good" The doctor said to him "But I'd like her to make an appointment with her doctor this week for a follow up but all the tests show everything is ok"

"Can I get out of here now?" AJ asked him and he smiled

"Yes I'll go get your paperwork" The doctor told her then walked away

"You sure you're feeling ok to leave?" Punk asked her and she smiled

"It's fine and I probably shouldn't have even come here it was waste of time. I should have just called the doctor but I freaked out" AJ said to him

"You did the right thing" Punk assured her

"What happened at the police station?" AJ asked him

"We'll talk later" Punk told her

"No tell me now while we're still in the hospital at least in case I freak out" she said with a smirk

"I think Dan was in the house" Punk said to her "Christian had something of yours"

"Was it a pair of underwear?" AJ asked him

"How did you know that?" Punk asked curiously

"I noticed I was missing a few pairs but I thought I just lost them in the washer or something" AJ told him

"You should have mentioned that" Punk said to her

"I didn't think I had to give you an inventory of my underwear" she laughed

"This is why I told you to throw out all of your underwear. It's nothing but trouble" Punk teased in a serious voice

"Anything else I should know?" AJ asked

"Yea actually and this is the worst part" Punk said nervously

"Worse than someone breaking into our home and sniffing around my stuff?" AJ asked him and she could practically read his face "No" she said slowly "He's really getting out?"

"It's not definite but Claudette mentioned he's trying to pull some strings and cash in on some favors" Punk admitted

"I'm actually surprised it's taken this long" AJ said to him "If he wasn't in solitary confinement for as long as he was he probably would have been out by now"

"You're taken this well" Punk noted

"I thought something was wrong with our son an hour ago and I was terrified. Knowing he's okay is all that matters to me" AJ said to him

"Yea" Punk agreed

"We can face anything else. We've been doing it for a year now" AJ reminded him

"I was thinking of whisking you out of the country" Punk smirked "Or maybe head back to Hawaii until you gave birth but that's out of the question now"

"No way" AJ said to him "I wouldn't have gone anyway. My doctors are here and so is our family. I want our son surrounded by love not strangers"

"I don't know what to do" Punk admitted quietly "I want you to be safe"

"We know he's been in our house so we just have to be more careful that's all" AJ told him "We won't let it happen again. Obviously he got in during a time the both of us were out with Louie and since I can't leave I know if he'll try to come back"

"I don't want you in the house alone" Punk said to her "And I can't be in the house 24/7. Maybe your sister-"

"No Phil" AJ groaned

"Why? Did you two have a fight or something?" Punk asked

"No but we're doing so well and having her stay with us might drive me crazy" AJ said to him

"We'll ask Cliff too" Punk added simply

"I promise I'll be good and stay in bed or the couch" AJ told him

"It's not just about that. It's safety issue and honestly Erica scares me a little bit so I know she'll fend off any intruders" Punk told her "It would make me feel better. And my sisters will come a couple of times a week as well to give you a break from Erica"

"We'll ask but she might say no" AJ said to him "And if she does don't argue with her we'll just come up with something else"

"Ok" Punk agreed.

Punk and AJ walked out and headed over to where Erica and Cliff were waiting for word.

"You're ok?" Cliff asked happily

"I'm fine" she smiled as he pulled her into a hug

"Don't scare me like that again" he said to her stomach

"So what happened?" Erica asked

"Stress I guess" AJ said with a shrug

"About that" Punk started "AJ is going to have to stay on bed rest until the baby gets here and we've had some security breaches so we were wondering-"

"-you- you were wondering" AJ corrected

"-I was wondering if you two wanted to stay with us at least until the baby was born to help out AJ and keep on eye on things in the house?" Punk asked

"Of course" Erica said quickly "Clearly Ape needs extra help"

"Yea absolutely" Cliff said to her

"You can stay with her while I work" Erica said to her

"I'm not a child" AJ interjected

"You're just going to have to suck it up a little and accept the help" Erica told her sister bluntly

* * *

A week into bed rest AJ was already going crazy, and driving everyone else crazy. She was not a fan of sitting around and really not happy to have people waiting on her.

"This is horrible" AJ muttered from the couch as she flicked through all the channels quickly

"Why don't you play a game?" Erica suggested "You're still into all of that boy crap aren't you?"

"Playing video games isn't a boy thing" AJ shot at her sister "And I've played them all"

"So tell Punk to get you new ones" Erica shrugged

"I don't want to play new ones" AJ said annoyed

"Stop being so miserable" Erica said to her "Everyone else is trying"

"I can't change how I feel" AJ said annoyed "And if I'm so miserable you could leave"

"I'm not leaving until that kid pops out and no one is trying to kill you" Erica informed her

"Why?" AJ asked annoyed "Why do you care?"

"Because you're my baby sister and no matter what I'm going to protect you" Erica said to her "I've missed some time but I'm not screwing this up"

"Where are Cliff and Phil?" AJ asked her

"They're downstairs working out" Erica told her "Is that all you wrestlers do by the way?"

"You have to always be in shape" AJ said to her "I miss working out" she pouted

"You are so lucky! You get to sit around and eat. I'd love that" Erica said to her

"I want to work out" AJ argued

"I don't know how Punk puts up with you" Erica said with a laugh

"I was going to say the same thing about Cliff" AJ shot back at her

"Cliff and I are very similar" Erica defended

"No you're not" AJ laughed

"We really are and we have amazing sex" Erica said to her

"I know. You must have forgotten that my bedroom is three doors down from you and Cliff" AJ said to her

"Are all wrestlers that great?" Erica asked

"How would I know?" AJ asked annoyed

"You've been with more than just Punk" Erica said to her "I remember Jay"

"Jay and Seth were great but Phil is so different" AJ said to her "He's passionate"

"Seth?" Erica questioned "That guy with the two toned hair?"

"Yea" AJ said to her

"I can't believe my sister who didn't even have her first kiss until she was almost twenty has slept around" Erica laughed

"That's my entire list Erica" AJ informed her "Jay, Seth, Christian and Phil"

"So you never slept with Cliff?" Erica asked

"Ew! Really Erica?" AJ asked annoyed

"I'm just curious" Erica defended "He adores you so much I just figured you two must have had something going on"

"How well do you know Phil?" AJ asked her "Do you really think he'd let Cliff into our house if we had a physical relationship?"

"Good point" Erica said to her "Well you're missing out"

"TMI Erica" AJ groaned "He's like a brother to me"

"Speaking of brothers have you talked to Robbie lately?" Erica asked

"Yea he called me a few days ago" AJ said to her

"Does he know what's going on?" Erica asked her

"No because if he knows he'll tell mom and dad" AJ said to her "Not that they'll care but I just don't want them to know my business"

"You're going to be such a better parent than them" Erica said to her kindly

"You think so?" AJ asked

"Defiantly" Erica said without a second thought "Your little boy is lucky to have you and Phil for that matter"

"Thanks" AJ said to her "I know I've been a pain in the ass-"

"-you're entitled" Erica said to her "Mama and Papa think you have it so easy since you hit the big time. That's what I thought too. You've really been through the ringer"

"It's all led me to this point" AJ said to her "I wouldn't change anything" the house phone began to ring and Erica stood up and answered it. AJ watched as Erica stepped into the next room while on the phone.

"What's going on?" AJ asked her

"That was the security company. Apparently Punk had motion sensors put in?" Erica asked and AJ nodded "One of them went off. They've already notified the authorities and they're on the way. I'm going to get Punk and Cliff. Stay right there" Erica warned

"Wait where did they go off?" AJ asked but Erica was already gone. "Louie!" AJ yelled and the large dog ran right towards her. Less than thirty seconds later Punk and Cliff were entering the living room.

"Stay here with her" Punk said to them

"Wait don't go out there" AJ said quickly

"I'm going to go see who is sneaking on to our property" Punk said to her

"Take Cliff" AJ insisted

"No he stays with you" Punk said to her

"So take Louie at least if you won't wait for the police" AJ said to him

"Fine." Punk said to her "Take her upstairs into the bedroom and don't leave her side" he told them then walked out the door with Louie.

As soon as Punk and Louie stepped outside Louie darted off into the woods and Punk knew he found something. It was either the perpetrator or an animal. Punk followed Louie and heard him growling. Once Punk found Louie he did have a guy cornered and Punk couldn't believe Dan Jacobs had the balls to show up at his house again- he was truly an idiot.

"This dog is going to kill me!" Dan shouted. "Get him away from me!" he said pressing his back against the tree

"What are you doing?" Punk demanded grabbing Dan and tossing him onto the ground

"I was just-" Dan started

"You were what!" Punk yelled as Louie barked. Punk saw a duffle bag not far from where Dan was and reached for it.

"That's not what it looks like" Dan said nervously as Punk unzipped it.

"Holy shit" Punk muttered looking through the bag. There were a lot of medical tools and pages printed off the internet. "How to perform a c-section?" Punk read out loud then looked towards Dan "Are you fucking kidding me? You were going to-"

"No!" Dan said quickly as Punk looked through the bag more. He didn't even notice the that Dan had a gun tucked behind his jeans. Louie saw his arm move and quickly latched onto it and that's when the gun went off.

"Fuck!" Dan screamed "He's not letting go!"

"Are you insane!" Punk screamed kicking the gun away. "Did Christian think this would work!"

"He doesn't even know I'm here!" Dan defended nervously "I think your dog broke my arm or something" He cried out and that's when Punk applied pressure to the wound causing him to scream out in pain "Stop!" Dan cried

"You were going to cut my son out of my wife's body!" Punk yelled "Is that what Christian told you to do!"

"No!" Dan yelled but Punk hit the wound again "I swear to god no! He won't even take my calls anymore!"

"So why the fuck are you here!" Punk yelled and when he didn't answer punched his arm again and now his own hand was covered in blood from Dan's wound. Louie just continued to bark

"I just wanted to prove I was good enough to work for him!" Dan sobbed "My arm hurts so bad- please call-"

"Tough shit" Punk spat hitting the arm again. It was dark outside but even Dan could see how red Punk's face was from anger. Punk reached over for the gun and pressed it to Dan's temple "Give me a reason not kill you" he seethed against his ear

"Don't" Dan cried "I'm sorry!" he sobbed out

"That's not much of a reason" Punk said as his finger rested on the trigger

"Punk" Cliff said racing over

"Help me" Dan sobbed as he tried to hold his arm "Please"

"Dude drop the gun" Cliff said to him with wide eyes

"Do you know what he was going to do?" Punk asked "Look in his bag! He was going to cut my child out of AJ!"

"I'm so sorry" Dan cried "I just thought-"

"You thought what!" Punk screamed still holding the gun "You're like a fucking gnat that won't go away- you'll go away now"

"Put the gun down" Cliff said to him "You shoot him you go to jail!"

"It was self defense" Punk said to Cliff but not taking his eyes off of Dan "He broke into my home and tried to kill my wife and child. I'll be given a god damn medal!"

"That's not how it works" Cliff said to him "Seriously man you're freaking me out" he said and neither noticed Louie had run off

"It won't stop" Punk said in a dangerously calm voice "Go upstairs and stay with AJ"

"No we heard the gunshot" Cliff said and both could hear police sirens heading towards the house "You need to put it down"

"Get out of here Cliff!" Punk yelled

"Phil!" AJ shouted in horror. Her voice caused Punk to turn his head slightly

"Get inside AJ" Punk said to her

"Are you ok?" AJ asked walking over "Why are you holding a gun?" she asked. Punk was very anti-guns.

"He bought it here" Punk said turning his attention back towards Dan

"He's going to kill me" Dan cried to AJ "Please-"

"Don't talk to my wife!" Punk screamed pressing the gun harder against his head

"Put the gun down" AJ said slowly and calmly

"Cliff get her out of here" Punk told him

"Put it down" she said resting her hand on his extended arm that was holding the gun

"AJ is very upset" Erica added. He assumed she came over when AJ did. "Shooting this guy even though he probably deserves it will cause a lot of pain and suffering to her and your son. Don't be stupid"

"Come on the police are pulling up" Cliff said gently taking the gun out of Punk's willing hand. AJ let out a breath and threw her arms around him

"Are you ok?" she asked as he hugged her back

"I need an ambulance" Dan cried "My arm is all bloody that dog-"

"Shut up" Erica said annoyed

"Come inside" AJ said to him "The police are here now"

"I should have killed him" Punk whispered into her ear

"You're a better man than that" AJ said to him as she pulled away "Your son would be very proud of you"

* * *

**A/N: Did Punk make a mistake? Will he live to regret not killing Dan Jacobs? **


	68. It's A Boy!

**Chapter 68: It's A Boy!**

* * *

The next morning AJ opened her eyes and noticed it was only 4am. She felt the side of the bed that was usually occupied by her husband and felt it was cold. She became alarmed and sat up quickly and then noticed Punk looking out the window. She wasn't even sure what he was looking at since it was still dark out.

"Are you ok?" AJ asked startling him a bit

"Yea go back to sleep" Punk said not turning his head

"You did the right thing" AJ said knowing what he was thinking about

"It doesn't matter anymore because what's done is done and I can't change it now" Punk told her almost coldly

"You're not a killer" AJ told him

"I could be" Punk said turning around

"No you couldn't" AJ argued lightly from her spot on the bed

"You're my family" Punk reminded her "I would kill for you and I would kill for him" he said referring to their son

"You wouldn't even be able to be a part of our sons life if you killed him" AJ said to him "And even if you did get away with it you're too good of a man to not let that bother you"

"It's bothering me that I didn't" Punk said to her "He was going to cut our child out of you" he said slowly

"He didn't" AJ said to him

"I mean who even wakes up decides to do something like that?" Punk asked still in shock over the entire thing "I mean he studied how to do it, he bought medical supplies"

"He's really sick" AJ said to him softly "There's a lot of people like that in the world unfortunately"

"You hear about them on the news but you don't ever think it's going to happen to your family" Punk said to her

"Nothing happened" AJ said to him "You protected us just like you promised and now you need to come back to bed" she encouraged

"Vince is going to sue me" Punk told her out of nowhere

"What?" AJ asked him surprised

"I got a call from his attorneys. If I'm not back after the baby is born he's going to sue me for breech of contract" Punk said to her

"We knew this was possible" AJ said to him "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know" Punk admitted "I just have so much on my mind that I don't think I could sleep even if I tried"

"You're going to make yourself sick" AJ said to him "The security system works great obviously so you can put that out of your mind, Dan is off the streets so that should be a weight lifted and as for Vince you have some time to decide on what you want to do. The only thing you should be worrying about is this baby" she said to him with a smile "And he's up and kicking me like crazy"

"Yea?" Punk asked walking over to her and AJ grabbed his hand and placed I over her stomach "He's active" he couldn't help but smile

"Yea he won't let me sleep" AJ pouted

"Hey let your mom sleep" Punk said playfully to her stomach

"He's going to be just like you" AJ said "A little insomniac just like daddy" she teased "Thank goodness you don't sleep either so you two could hang out all night together"

"Good I'll have a little buddy" Punk smirked

"I just wish he'd kick me during the day when I'm already up instead of waiting for when I'm trying to sleep" AJ said to him

"Getting sick of pregnancy yet?" Punk teased taking a seat on the bed but keeping his hand on her stomach

"The idea of a child growing inside of me makes me feel like this superhero" AJ admitted with a smile "But then there's this other part of me that is freaked out because there's another person in my stomach" she said with a startled face causing him to laugh

"Well you are a superhero" Punk agreed "You amaze me everyday"

"You're so sweet" She smiled cupping his cheek and giving him a kiss "I do miss being with you"

"Three more months we'll be fine" Punk laughed

"Oh no babe" AJ warned "It's three more months until we have the baby but then we have to wait a couple of weeks after the baby is born"

"Oh yea I forgot" Punk said to her "It'll be worth it"

"Yea" AJ agreed leaning back into bed "Please sleep with me?" she asked "We'll sleep better with you next to us"

"Yea ok" Punk agreed crawling into his spot of the bed.

* * *

Weeks and weeks had passed since the incident with Dan and now it seemed everyone's minds were just on AJ and the baby who was due now any day, actually the baby was overdue and AJ was going nuts.

"I can't believe this" AJ muttered from the dinner table with her arms crossed

"You need to eat" Erica told her seriously. Erica was the only one with the guts to stick up to AJ

"Don't tell me what to do" AJ shot at her sister "You try being eleven months pregnant"

"You're just nine months pregnant" Erica scoffed "You should be happy! It's better for you and the baby the later he comes"

"The baby was due two days ago" AJ said to her slowly while Punk and Cliff sat nervously at the table "Two whole days! Why won't they induce my labor?" she asked Punk

"They are in a few more days if your water doesn't break" Punk told her "It's just a few more days"

"That's so easy for you to say" AJ said annoyed "You're not the one carrying around a monster size baby in your stomach. I can't sleep, I can't even sit and be comfortable and sitting and sleeping is all you people let me do!"

"The doctor said to eat some spicy food so there is spicy food" Erica said gesturing to her plate

"Sex also helps speed up the process" Cliff added casually

"How do you know that?" Punk asked almost afraid to actually know why he knows that

"I looked it up" Cliff defended

"Cliff has been trying to find ways to speed this up for AJ" Erica said adoringly

"You're the best Cliff" AJ said to him sweetly "What do you say?" she asked looking at Punk

"You're on bed rest" Punk reminded her "No sex"

"I was on bed rest to make sure the baby didn't come early- we don't have to worry about that anymore" AJ reminded him "The baby is healthy we know this so help me have this baby"

"No" he said firmly then took a sip of his drink

"I have a list" Cliff said helpfully "I was going to go over it with you after dinner but since we're on the topic…"

"Where did you get this list?" Punk asked him

"The internet- duh" Cliff mocked

"Shut up at least he's being helpful" AJ said to Punk "Go ahead Cliffy"

"Well sperm was one way but clearly you're not going to get any help there" Cliff said rolling his eyes at Punk

"You can borrow Cliff" Erica said to AJ as Punk glared at her

"Are you kidding me?" Punk asked her annoyed

"Of course I am" Erica smirked "Go ahead Cliff"

"Orgasm" Cliff said as Punk just groaned "That could be self inflicted by the way"

"Yea she knows how it works- next" Punk said annoyed

"Spicy food which you have" Cliff said reading the list "Chinese food, nipple stimulation, massage-"

"I can help with the massage" Punk added quickly

"No they recommend a professional for that" Cliff informed him "Walking, squats and one site even said women can sometimes talk to the baby and they swear it works"

"That's ridiculous" Punk shot at him

"No none of that is ridiculous" AJ said to him "Thank you for helping Cliff"

"Anytime" Cliff said to her with a smile

"You really wont have sex with me?" AJ asked her husband who choked on the food he was trying to eat

"Do we really have to talk about this here?" Punk hissed referring to Erica and Cliff who seemed to enjoy listening

"They know the deal" AJ said to him "Just have sex with me"

"No" Punk said to her

"Fine" AJ said taking a bite out of the pepper on her plate and everyone was surprised that she didn't seem bothered by it at all "I'll just go for a walk"

"No" Punk said to her

"Oh boy" Cliff muttered

"The reason this baby isn't here is because you and the doctor locked me in my room and I haven't been active enough" AJ said to him "As soon as I finish this pepper I am going to go for a walk with Louie- the only man in my life who wouldn't turn me down, then I'm going to come back here and do squats and after that is done I am going to orgasm" she said freely and dangerously causing Erica to let out a laugh while Cliff looked super comfortable "I don't need you for that" she reminded Punk as she stood up "Come on Louie!" she yelled and the dog came running in.

"I'll come with you" Erica said standing up "Just in case your water breaks or you trip and fall over a rock or something"

"It's freezing out" Punk reminded them "It's also snowing"

"It's not sticking I think I'll manage" AJ said grabbing her jacket while Erica followed her and Louie out

"Just bang her man" Cliff encouraged "Maybe she won't be as moody either"

"You've been very helpful thanks Cliff" Punk mocked

* * *

After an almost hour long walk AJ and Erica arrived back at the house with Louie.

"How was your walk?" Punk asked

"Your wife is a psycho" Erica said clearly shivering as AJ removed her jacket "She would have stayed out there until her water broke"

"Yea but chicken little here was too cold" AJ mocked annoyed

"It's really cold out" Punk defended earning a glare from AJ

"Cliffy do you want to come warm me up?" Erica smiled

"Always" Cliff grinned

"Ugh" AJ said annoyed and literally stomped up the stairs

"Go do something" Erica said to her

"I'm not having sex with her" Punk laughed

"Well if you don't I'm seriously going to make Cliff do it because she's a monster" Erica warned

"I'll take one for the team" Cliff added seriously

"Don't make me hurt you" Punk warned

"At least talk to her" Erica encouraged

"If I'm not back in ten minutes it means she killed me" Punk said standing up

"Good luck" Erica said to him seriously as she watched Punk climb the steps.

Punk reached the bedroom and tried to open it but it was locked.

"AJ open the door" Punk said shaking the doorknob

"Go away!" She yelled and Punk couldn't help but laugh

"Come on open up" he pleaded lightly. A few minutes later the door swung open and AJ stomped back over to the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing" AJ said quickly

"What is this?" Punk asked reaching behind her back and grabbing what she had in it "Are you kidding me?" he asked with a laugh "Why do you have this?"

"All women have one" AJ defended

"You are not most women" Punk smirked holding the purple vibrator in his hand "Do you know what you owning this does to my pride?"

"I've never even used it relax" AJ said snatching it out of his hand

"When did you get that?" Punk asked

"It was a gag gift from one of your sisters" AJ informed him and now he was just disgusted "It was like a bachelorette gift chill out"

"You've never used it?" Punk asked

"I already told you I never have I don't even think I'd know how to use it" She said annoyed

"Just be patient" Punk smiled as her head crashed against the pillows "He'll be here when he's ready"

"He's ready because I'm his mother and I know he's ready" she told him seriously "He's already not listening to me"

"Give it a few more days. I know it's been tough for you but we've already made this far" Punk soothed "You can do it, I know you can"

"I don't want to do it" AJ sighed childishly "I am so tired of being pregnant"

"You'll miss it" Punk teased

"It's so easy for you. You can just sit there and be beautiful all of the time while I've gotten bigger and ugly as each day passes" AJ said sadly, she was clearly overly hormonal

"Are you insane?" he laughed

"Why else won't you touch me?" AJ asked him quietly

"Because I don't want to hurt you or the baby" Punk smirked kissing her forehead "You're beautiful and you know it" he ran his hand up and down her thigh "What can I do to make you more comfortable?"

"Besides the obvious?" AJ asked and he just glared at her "I left my body pillow on the couch downstairs. Could you get it? And then stay in bed with me and watch some movies?"

"I can do that" Punk said kissing her cheek quickly and jumping off the bed

It took Punk less than three minutes to collect the pillow and make it back up to the room and when he arrived back AJ was standing up looking at the floor.

"You ok?" Punk asked

"My water broke" she said with a large smile

"Seriously?" Punk asked dropping the pillow to the floor "All I did was touch your leg!"

"Shut up" she laughed "Hurry we have to go"

"Come on let's go" Punk said helping her out of the room

"I need my shoes" She laughed "And actually I want to shower first"

"What?" Punk asked her "No this is what you've been waiting for let's move"

"I don't even have contractions I need to shower first" AJ laughed at him "It's fine"

"But-" Punk started

"Go into the baby's room and grab my go bag and shoes and I'll be done by then" AJ assured him

"What bag?" Punk asked feeling overwhelmed

"The bag we've had packed for like a month" she laughed "Go ask Erica and she'll get it"

"Ok" he said completely in a daze and headed out of the room to find Erica.

* * *

Thankfully Erica was a lot calmer then Punk. She handed him over the overnight bag and AJ's shoes and Punk ran out to the car and actually left the property without AJ but quickly came back. As soon as he pulled back up to the house AJ was waiting outside the door for her shoes, she found his reaction to be hysterical.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital AJ was admitted and it was actually hours later until she finally began to push the baby out. Punk was at her side and in the waiting room was Cliff, Colt, Erica and Punk's family. Punk managed to pull himself together and was the calmer one in the delivery room. AJ was a trooper and didn't even use an epidermal so she was in a lot of pain but Punk let her squeeze his hand like the faithful husband he was. And he watched as the doctor pulled the small child out, the screams were loud but Punk's face was alarmed AJ.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously holding her head up "Is something wrong with the baby?" she felt herself starting to cry

"No your baby girl has a healthy set of lungs" The doctor said proudly

"I think you forgot the boy" Punk said genuinely confused

"No I assure you this is a little girl" The doctor laughed "Scans are wrong all of the time"

"A girl?" AJ asked with a relieved laugh as the doctor placed her in AJ's arms "She's so beautiful" she smiled kissing the top of her head not caring she wasn't cleaned yet

"You want to cut the cord dad?" The doctor asked

"Yea" Punk said nervously as the nurse bought the baby over and handed Punk the scissors. He quickly cut the cord and looked towards the doctor "Are you sure there isn't a boy in there somewhere?"

"I'm sure" He laughed. Punk watched as the nurses cleaned up his daughter

"She's really ok?" AJ asked the doctor

"She seems fine" the doctor assured her "She's a loud one" he laughed

"You want to hold her?" the nurse asked Punk

"Yea" Punk said as the nurse placed the small child in his arms "Hi there…Phillip?"

"We're going to have to find another name" AJ smiled watching Punk hold their daughter "How is she?"

"She is loud…she sounds like you" Punk teased as the little girl wailed in his arms

"Hours of labor and that's how you thank me?" AJ asked him

"I'm sorry" He smirked "She is so pretty"

"Bring her to me. I did all of the work no way are you going to get all the glory" AJ warned and Punk walked over to her

"I don't want to let her go yet" Punk admitted smiling at the baby. Looking at his daughter everything was just into perspective

"Do you guys have a name yet?" the nursed asked them

"No" AJ said to her "We thought we were having a boy"

"You'd be surprised how often that happens" the nurse smiled

"Here go to mommy" Punk said handing his daughter off to AJ "I should let everyone know outside"

"Hi baby" AJ smiled taking her daughter "Look at her" she smiled looking up at Punk briefly "We made her"

"No wonder she's so beautiful" Punk smirked then kissed AJ's lips quickly "You are amazing thank you"

When Punk stepped into the waiting room everyone looked tired.

"So did she have him?" Erica asked anxiously

"Yes mom and baby are doing great" Punk said to them "I am the proud father of a 6lb 8oz baby…girl"

"Girl?" Cliff asked with a scrunched up face

"Little Phillip is actually a girl" Punk informed them

"Are you sure you got the right kid?" Cliff asked but Erica slapped his arm

"Congratulations" Colt said hugging him

"Well this was a waste" Cliff muttered popping the 'it's a boy' balloon

"Can we see her?" Punk sister asked anxiously

"Everyone will get a chance to see her" Punk assured them "They're just bringing AJ back into her room"

"No wonder the baby was overdue she's a stubborn Mendez girl- now it all makes sense" Colt said seriously causing Erica to laugh lightly

* * *

Across the City Christian Scott walked out of the prison he called home for almost a year.

"You are one lucky son of a bitch" the guard muttered as he opened the fence for Christian to leave

"I really am" Christian agreed "Did you hear the news that I'm going to be a father?"

"Someone procreated with a sociopath like you?" the guard laughed

"You may be laughing now but I'll have the last laugh" Christian assured him smoothly


	69. Queen

**Chapter 69: Queen**

* * *

AJ headed into the nursery and saw Punk sitting in the rocking chair with their daughter. They had bought her home almost a week ago and Punk couldn't detach himself from her. She leaned in the doorway and smiled at him until he looked over and saw her.

"She couldn't sleep" Punk said as he rocked with the baby

"So you're not disappointed that we didn't have a boy?" AJ asked him

"Nah" Punk said simply smiling at the little girl "She's already won me over besides we have plenty of time to have a boy"

"Let's get this one to sleep through the night first" AJ smirked stepping into the room

"I fed her the bottle" Punk told her

"You're such a good dad" AJ beamed

"It just came naturally I guess" Punk shrugged

"So there was a message on the machine by the way from WWE" AJ told him "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

"No I haven't" Punk admitted "But right now I don't want to leave her or you so I won't be going back anytime soon"

"I think she'd miss you too much" AJ agreed

"Do you want to change anything in here?" Punk asked referring to the nursery "I know we decorated planning on a boy"

"Nah" AJ said to him "It's all comic books and video games what's wrong with that? I'm actually jealous of this room"

"Nice" Punk snorted "You should try to sleep because she's going to want to eat again in a few hours and we're out of bottles. I'll stay with her until she falls asleep"

"You slept in here last night" AJ smiled "Don't kill your back"

"Nah this chair is actually comfortable" Punk said leaning back in it and putting his feet up on the oddment

"Ok" she said kissing the top of her daughters' head

"I don't get one?" Punk asked

"Fine you big baby" she smiled kissing the top of his head as well

"I was hoping for a little more" Punk admitted that's when AJ kissed his lips.

"Get some rest" she instructed

"Yea, yea don't worry about us we'll be fine" Punk said

"You're going to spoil her by the way if you constantly hold her" AJ teased "She's going to become a little princess"

"She's a Queen" Punk said proudly "Queen Quinn" Punk and AJ came up with Quinn for comic book reason purposes and it didn't take them long to decide on the name. Both felt their little girl looked like a 'Quinn'.

* * *

The next morning AJ was already up and fed Quinn and was just cleaning her up.

"We have to be extra quiet so daddy can sleep" AJ said to the little girl "Because if he hears you're up he's going to want to get up and play but he really needs to sleep" she smirked "You have no idea what I'm saying do you?" there was a buzzing inside the house and that meant someone was at the gate. She was expecting her sister to drop by but she had the gate code. She walked over to the intercom and asked who it was and was surprised to hear Detective Claudette Williams was there to see her. She let her in and met her at the front door so she wouldn't wake Phil by ringing the bell.

"Hello there" Claudette smiled as she saw AJ holding the little girl in her arms "She's beautiful Mrs. Brooks" she said to her

"Thank you. Thankfully she got all of my looks" AJ teased closing the door

"Hi there Louie" Claudette said petting the dog. She had gotten to know the family pretty well over the last year. "How is he with the baby?"

"He literally guards her room" AJ smiled "He sleeps next to her crib every night that Phil isn't in there"

"That's a good dog" Claudette laughed

"You should see how antsy he gets when someone holds her that he doesn't know" AJ laughed "So I'm assuming you're not just here to see Quinn"

"No I'm not" Claudette said with a frown

"He's out isn't he?" AJ asked her

"I just found out about it" Claudette told her honestly "But he was released from prison a week ago"

"I'm surprised it took him this long" AJ admitted "I can't say I'm really surprised"

"You know him better than anyone you know how far his reach goes" Claudette said to her "We're going to put some uniformed officers around the area to keep an eye out"

"That's reassuring thank you" AJ said genuinely

"There's something else" Claudette said to her "I spoke to a few of the guards hoping to get an idea about what he was planning"

"And did you?" AJ asked as she rubbed her daughters her back as Quinn's face rested against her chest

"He mentioned to one of the guards that he was going to be a father" Claudette said to her

"Really?" AJ asked surprised "Who is having a baby with?"

"I don't think he was referring to anyone other than you" Claudette told her quietly

"But…" AJ trailed off "Wait, you think he thinks he was talking about Quinn?"

"It's the only logical explanation" Claudette said to her

"It's not logical" AJ disputed "He's not her father" she said clutching Quinn a little tighter

"He knows that" Claudette frowned

"Do you think he's going to take her from me?" AJ asked growing nervous and she could feel her knees shaking

"Please sit down" Claudette encouraged helping her to the couch "Do you need a glass of water?"

"No I need some answers" AJ said frantically "Do you think he's going to take her?"

"He's not going to take your daughter" Claudette said to her

"He thinks he is" AJ said to her "He can't have her"

"There's no proof and I probably shouldn't even have mentioned this since it's all hearsay but I want you to take proper precautions" Claudette encouraged "You should speak to your husband about this"

"What should I do?" AJ asked hoping for some magical answer that would make it all go away

"Just keep doing what you're doing" Claudette said to her "And I'm going to have patrol cars in the neighborhood as well"

"Can't they just park here?" AJ asked her

"It would never be approved because there was no real threat. Like I said it was hearsay and as far as any judge is concerned he's paid his debt to society" Claudette told her

"Thank you for telling me" AJ said standing up "But I really need to speak to my husband"

"Ok and if you or he has any questions for me please call me" Claudette said walking towards the door "I'm going to keep you and your family safe" she promised

"I know" AJ said quietly as she walked Claudette out of the house. She closed and locked the door as soon as she was gone. "Come on Louie" she said nodding for Louie to follow them up the steps

AJ placed Quinn back into her crib and then headed across the hall to her room and walked over Punk who was fast asleep.

"Phil" she said shaking him almost frantically

"What? What's wrong?" he asked slowly waking up

"We need to pack" she said to him as she headed into the walk-in closet and grabbed his suitcase "You pack up your stuff and I'll take pack Quinn-"

"Where are we going?" Punk asked still not fully awake "What the hell is going on?"

"I'll tell you about it once you pack" AJ said to him grabbing another bag and heading into Quinn's nursery.

AJ was on her knees and just grabbing all of the clothes she can and stuffing them into the bag.

"Babe what are you doing?" Punk asked peering over to see Quinn was content in her crib and ok "Talk to me here" Punk said but she was zoned out "AJ" He demanded lightly grabbing her by her shoulders and bringing her to her feet "Tell me what's wrong"

"He's out" AJ told him

"Christian?" Punk asked

"Of course" AJ said to him fighting back tears "That's not even the worst part he told people before he left he was going to be a father and Claudette thinks he was talking about Quinn."

"She thinks he's going to take her?" Punk asked feeling his own heart start to race

"Yes!" AJ said to him "We need to leave"

"Let me call her-" Punk started

"No Phil there's no time" AJ said to him "We need to leave now"

"And go where?" Punk asked her

"I don't know" AJ said to him "A hotel out of state, Canada- I don't care as long as it's not here and not anywhere in Chicago" she then started putting more clothes into the bag but Punk tugged her away so she was face to face with him

"AJ stop" Punk demanded "Calm down and please explain this all to me again"

"What more can I say?" AJ asked "Christian is out he's coming for Quinn and he knows where we live so we need to leave"

"We can't just pick up and leave with a newborn" Punk told her

"This is our daughters safety!" AJ yelled "This isn't a debate. I'm taking her and we're leaving and I really hope you're coming with us"

"AJ-" Punk started

"Time for talking is over" She warned "You're either going to help me pack or you're not"

"Ok" Punk said running his hands up and her arms to try to sooth her. "If you want to leave we'll leave"

"Thank you" she said relieved

"But we're not racing out of here this very second. I'm going to call Detective Williams and then I'm going to figure out where we're going you can pack in the meantime" Punk reasoned and she nodded

"I'm scared Phil" She admitted

"Don't be scared because Quinn will pick up on that" Punk told her "Just try to stay calm and we'll figure this all out"

"Make sure were ever you look into us going they take dogs" AJ said before he left the room "Louie is coming with us"

"Of course" Punk said then left the room

* * *

A half hour later Punk came back into the nursery and saw AJ had two big bags packed.

"I hope I'm not forgetting anything" AJ said to him "But I think I have most of the important things"

"Where do you want to go AJ?" Punk asked her

"How about we go back to Hawaii?" AJ asked him "We were safe there and I can't think of a time that we were more at peace"

"You wan to bring a newborn baby on a 22 hour flight?" Punk asked "I called the doctor he said we should avoid air travel. There are too many germs, it messes with her sleep pattern and it's just difficult. Flight attendants won't heat up bottles or anything"

"I'll breast feed her" AJ said simply "And it's safer to be on a plane then being in Chicago with her"

"Louie is going to sit in a small crate for almost an entire day? It's just not possible" Punk told her simply

"So we'll go somewhere closer" AJ said to him "Please I need you to be with me on this"

"I am" Punk promised "But let's be realistic here. I don't want to get on a plane with her"

"Ok" AJ said simply "I don't care as long as we're gone"

"I was thinking we could get on the bus" Punk suggested "Louie will hate it because it's small but it's better than being in a crate, we can set Quinn up in our room and there's plenty of space for us and we won't have to worry about other people"

"Great so where to?" AJ asked him

"You mentioned Canada" Punk said to her "It's a nine hour drive-"

"Perfect" AJ said to him "Let's go"

"Are you sure AJ?" Punk asked her

"Phil you spoke to Claudette right?" AJ asked and he nodded "What do you think?"

"I think we should leave" Punk agreed "But I hate going somewhere I'm not familiar with"

"What's the alternative?" AJ asked him "We just sit here and wait?"

"We have security here" Punk reminded her

"Dan had gotten through security" AJ said to him "He won't expect us to leave"

"Or that's exactly what he's expecting" Punk countered

"He'll know anything we decide" AJ reminded him

"Can we sleep on it at least?" Punk asked

"Phil I don't think we have a night to waste" AJ sighed

"I'll hire guards" Punk told her " But not only is Quinn a newborn and picking her up and leaving the country is risky as it is you just gave birth I'm not comfortable with taking off with you after something so major. You haven't even began to heal yet"

"I'm the last thing you should be worrying about" AJ said to him

"I do worry AJ- I worry a lot about you actually" Punk said to her

"I don't feel safe" AJ told him bluntly

"I just think leaving isn't the right thing to do this very second" Punk told her honestly "I want you to feel safe and if you really want to go we will"

"You really think we'll be ok if we stay?" AJ asked him almost hopefully

"I wouldn't say to stay if I felt differently" Punk assured her "I would never risk you or Quinn you know that"

"I know" she said quietly "I kind of freaked out" AJ said to him gesturing to the bags

"Yea well I don't blame you" Punk said to her "We're going to be ok. It's not like he's going to walk into the house and take her. He'd have to get through me, you and Louie and believe me he'd never get through Louie"

"Can we do something about security though?" AJ asked

"Yea I'll take care of everything" Punk told her "I also spoke to Cliff…"

"No way" AJ said to him "He's not dropping everything going on his life to come back here"

"He wants to" Punk told her "Him and Erica are probably already back on their way over"

"I hate that they are doing this" AJ said to him "It's not fair for them"

"They're family" Punk said to her "If the roles were reversed we'd do the same"

"You're right" she said. Because that was the absolute truth "I have another request"

"Anything" Punk said to her

"I need you to move the crib and the changing table into our room" AJ told him "I don't want her in another room and we're both not going to fit in here with her we have more space"

"Yea I'll move it all as soon as she wakes up again" Punk told her "At least now I know I'm defiantly not going back to work"

"They're going to sue you" AJ said to him

"They can sue me for every penny I am not going anywhere" Punk said surely

"Maybe if you talk to Vince-" AJ started

"Don't worry about Vince" Punk said to her

"I don't want to be a prisoner in our home Phil" AJ said to him

"We won't be" Punk told her "But for the first few weeks you both should be resting anyway"

"Ok" she said slowly "I don't want her to be tainted by him Phil"

"She'll never even know this man exists" Punk said without hesitation

"I will never forgive myself if he gets to her" AJ said to him "I bought this man into your life and that was bad enough but now he's going to attack our daughter"

"He's dreaming AJ" Punk said to her "He's truly delusional"

"That's what makes him so dangerous" She reminded him

"He doesn't have half the power he did" Punk told her

"Obviously he does if got out so early from prison" AJ said to him

"Do you honestly think he thinks he's going to get past our front gate and just walk into our home and take our daughter out?" Punk asked

"I don't even get it" AJ said to him "He hates children, he never wanted children."

"She's part you" Punk said to her "He wants you"

"He can have me if he leaves her alone" AJ told him

"Don't say that" Punk said to her "He can't have Quinn and he certainly can't have you. He might have just been talking out of his ass AJ we don't know what that man is thinking and let's not pretend we ever knew what he was thinking"

"That's the really awful part he is so dangerous" AJ said to him "I mean if he wasn't a proven murder maybe I wouldn't be so scared"

"I really hate that you're so scared" Punk sighed

"Aren't you?" AJ asked him

"I can't afford to be" Punk said to her

* * *

Somewhere in Chicago…

Christian watched from the doorway as three men painted a large room.

"Do you like the color sir?" the man asked, he was in charge of home renovations

"It's very nice" Christian said to him

"If you don't mind me asking why are you painting? The last color looked nice too" the painter said to him

"My wife and I thought we were having a little boy but we just found out it's a girl" Christian said to him "The green was nice but I feel the pink is more appropriate"

"I didn't realize you were married" The man said to him "How long?"

"Almost two years" Christian told him

"You must be excited about the baby" the man said to him "When is she due?"

"She was born a few days ago actually" Christian told him proudly "But I don't want my wife and daughter here until everything is ready"

"You're a good man" the man smiled "What's her name?"

"Quinn" Christian told him with a smile "Isn't that a pretty name?"

"Beautiful" the man agreed "So when will you all being moving in?"

"I'd say another few weeks" Christian told him "Like I said I need everything perfect first" Christian nodded towards the windows in the room and looked towards the man "Are those windows nailed shut like I asked?"

"Yes but that might be against the law I can't be sure" the man said to him "I don't blame you though even though the room is on the second floor you can never be too safe. You don't want anyone getting in"

"Or out" Christian said quietly as the man stepped away and smiled happily


	70. Sneaking Around

**Chapter 70: Sneaking Around**

* * *

"Doesn't she look just like April?" Erica asked Cliff as she fed Quinn her bottle

"I don't know I actually think she looks like Punk" Cliff said smiling at the baby

"Ape looked just like this when she was a baby" Erica informed him "So cute and then she started to talk…" she teased lightly

"She's such a happy baby" Cliff noted "She has no idea the madness that surrounds her"

"And she never will" Erica said firmly "This will all be over soon"

"What makes you say that?" Cliff asked her

"Because it has to be" Erica said as she eyed the baby "They're going nuts they can't live like this forever. I really think they're just going to pack up and leave in the middle of the night"

"I wouldn't blame them" Cliff said to her "Christian is a scary dude"

"When April first introduced me to him I thought he was this amazing man who was whisking her away from the streets" Erica admitted "I can't believe how stupid I was"

"How were you supposed to know?" Cliff asked

"Maybe if I was a better sister to April and spent more time with her I would have picked up on this psycho" Erica said to her

"It's no ones fault" Cliff said to her

"It just sucks you know?" Erica started off "They just had this baby it should be the happiest times of their lives"

"They are happy" Cliff said "They're just not worry free" he said and that's when Quinn started to cry

"Oh boy" Erica said putting the bottle down

"Is she ok?" AJ asked rushing into the room

"Yea I think she wants mommy to burp her" Erica said passing Quinn over to her

"Is the baby alright?" Punk asked coming down the stairs

"See what I mean" Erica muttered to Cliff

"Yea she's just fussy" AJ said simply

"It's been a few weeks now haven't the police come up with anything?" Erica asked them

"Nothing" Punk said to her "They know he's staying in a hotel in Chicago because he's been spotted there but that's about it"

"He's all over the media too" AJ told them "He's trying to rebuild his empire"

"You'd be surprised how many people are willing to back him" Punk said bitterly

"Crazy people always have crazy followers" Cliff pointed out "Charles Manson has thousands of women who would marry him and plenty of people willing to join his cult like family if he ever gets out"

"It's just so disturbing" AJ said rubbing Quinn's back

"Do you two know what you're going to do?" Erica asked

"If he doesn't leave Chicago soon we'll be leaving" AJ informed her

"We hate to do it but we think it's the safest option" Punk told them

"Where would you go?" Cliff asked them

"Hawaii" AJ said to him "I mean I think Punk agrees that we were safest there. It was a private resort, lots of security and it's peaceful. We just don't want to keep Louie locked in a crate on a plane for that long"

"Well you can stop and take different flights" Erica suggested

"Yea" AJ agreed "It's just we hate to take her away from everyone so quickly"

"Hey we'll come to Hawaii" Erica said to her seriously

"It was great" Cliff said with a grin "It's the best place to surf"

"I would make you look so bad" Erica laughed

"Everyone is invited but we want to keep it quiet" Punk told her "We don't want him to catch whiff of anything we're planning"

"Do you think he's going to like move here?" Erica asked them

"I hope not" Punk said to her "Chicago has been my home since the day I was born I'd hate to be run out because of him"

"Maybe prison changed him" Cliff offered "Maybe he's realized he can't have AJ and has just moved on"

"He told people he was going to be a father" Punk reminded him "AJ is the only woman he's had contact with. And even if he moved on and never bothered us I don't think I could live in the same City as the man that stabbed my wife I also don't want him breathing the same air as my daughter"

"I would never feel safe taking her to the public park or even to school in the future knowing he was lurking around" AJ told them "He's a very obsessive person. Once his mind is made up that's it and he's patient. He'll wait until our guard is down if he thinks it will help him in the long run"

"Chicago is your City" Cliff reminded Punk

"Yea it is but I can't force him out obviously and I need to worry about my family" Punk said to him and Cliff just nodded slowly "I love Chicago but I love my family more"

"I never thought I'd hear you say those words" Cliff snorted

"She needs a change" AJ said holding Quinn scrunching up her face from the smell

"I'll do it" Punk said eagerly taking Quinn from her arms

"Could you put her down after? I want to work out for an hour downstairs" AJ asked

"Yea I've got her" Punk smirked at his daughter "We have some comics we need to finish reading"

"You two should really go out" AJ said to Cliff and Erica

"Yea seriously you two have been here day in and day out for months before Quinn was born and now you're back doing the same thing" Punk said to them "We appreciate the help but you two need to get out for a bit"

"We really-" Cliff started

"Yea you're right" Erica said cutting him off and standing up "Do you want us to bring you back food from anywhere"

"No just go and have a good time" AJ insisted

"Auntie Erica will be home in a few hours" Erica smiled kissing the top of Quinn's head who was in Punk's arms

"Seriously enjoy yourselves" Punk instructed

"Are you sure?" Cliff asked

"Yes we'll be fine" Punk told him "We still have Louie here"

"Ok well don't wait up" Erica said eagerly grabbing Cliff by his wrist and leading him out of the house

"Are they gone?" AJ asked Punk who looked out the window casually and saw them get into the car and speed out of the driveway

"Yes" he said to turning around to look at her

"Hurry up and get her to sleep" AJ warned "I am going to go take a shower and freshen up"

"I'll have her down in ten minutes max" Punk promised "This has been the longest six weeks of my life" he said to her eyeing her from head to toe. It had been six weeks since AJ had Quinn, which meant he, and AJ could finally be intimate with each other.

"It's been longer than that" AJ teased "We stopped sex at six months…"

"Stop talking and start moving" Punk said seriously "As soon as she's asleep whether you're ready or not I'm pouncing you"

* * *

It took Punk longer than he thought to get Quinn down but they were lucky she was a pretty easy baby, usually after she ate she went right to sleep. After four weeks Punk and AJ moved Quinn's crib back into her own room, which he was actually thankful for tonight because he certainly didn't want to wake his daughter up.

"Babe?" Punk asked entering the bedroom "She's finally asleep"

"Good" AJ said stepping out of the huge walk in closet in nothing more than a short red silk robe.

"I really hope you didn't waste anytime putting anything on underneath that" Punk said eagerly as he pulled his shirt over his head and unbuckled his belt.

"I should because I'm still the size of a house" AJ said to him

"No the only thing that's bigger on you since the baby are your breasts" Punk said licking his lips as he pulled down his jeans "Take the robe off" it was more of a demand than a request. AJ stepped in front of him and untied the robe and slowly pulled it away from her body. Punk's reaction put her body issues to rest.

"Damn" He muttered "I've missed you" he said finally looking up at her with a smile

"I hate to be a mood killer but we need to hurry this up because Cliff and my sister will be back any minute" AJ said to him and as soon as she finished the sentence he pulled her into his body and into a searing passionate kiss. He guided her to the bed and fell on top of her without detaching his lips from hers

"I know this is going to be hard-" Punk started as he began to kiss down her neck and found her sweet spot that caused her to moan loudly

"God I hope so" she added causing him to laugh lightly

"I meant it's going to be hard for you to try to keep it down" Punk snickered as lightly bit her sweet spot then smoothed it over with his tongue "We don't want to wake her"

"I'll be super quiet" AJ promised as she attempted to arch her lower half against his, she needed that physical contact there more than anything

"You say that every time" he teased moving his lips back over hers and bit her lower lip and tugged on it lightly before releasing it. While he was distracting her with his mouth his hand glided down her torso and into the valley between her thighs and began to tease her there.

"Oh I've missed your touch" AJ whispered as she wrapped her arm around his neck

"I've missed this so fucking much" he agreed in a raspy voice against her ear and then nipped on her earlobe his free hand moved over her one of her breast and began to tease her nipple. "Please" she pleaded as she felt his fingers part her folds

"Please what?" Punk asked as he kissed down the slope of her neck then moved back. She grabbed his hand that was teasing her and tried to push him towards her entrance "Impatient much?" he teased against her neck before gently kissing it

"Don't make me pull out my vibrator-" she threatened and that's when he slid not one but two fingers into her already soaking core.

"I thought I told you to throw that out" Punk said to her while he watched her face turn to bliss. "Huh?" he asked moving his fingers more roughly, he was surprised when she let go so quickly. "That was fast" he smirked pulling his hand out

"It's been awhile" she admitted feeling slightly embarrassed

"Oh I know baby" Punk soothed as he slid his wet fingers into his mouth "So good"

"No" AJ warned knowing what he was thinking

"What?" Punk defended as he sucked his fingers clean

"No more foreplay" she warned

"But you taste-" Punk started

"I don't care how good it tastes get inside of me right now" She said with lust filled eyes

"I love when you boss me around" Punk grinned standing up and tugged his boxers off and moved back to the bed. He grabbed both of her legs and raised them so her calves were practically dangling off of his shoulders. "Are you ready?" he asked her and she nodded eagerly. Punk practically plunged into her body and he went in hard and deep and no matter how hard AJ tried she couldn't stifle the scream of pleasure…..

* * *

"What do you think they're doing?" Cliff asked as he and Erica walked down the dark but busy Chicago street

"Probably something super boring" Erica said to him "For two people who have so much drama surrounding them they are seriously like the most boring couple ever."

"Yea I guess the passion dies down after a kid" Cliff shrugged as Erica stopped "What are we doing here?"

"I looked it up online and this is where Christian is staying" Erica said gesturing to the hotel they were standing outside of

"No way" Cliff said tugging her away "You're not going anywhere near him"

"April is my sister" Erica reminded him "I need to do something"

"Getting yourself killed or assaulted isn't going to help her" Cliff said to her seriously

"Don't you want to make this all go away for them?" Erica asked him

"Of course but we can't make that happen as much as we'd want to" Cliff said to her "Besides it's not like we can walk in there and expect him to see us"

"He'll see me" Erica said to him

"What makes you think that?" Cliff asked her

"There's something I have to tell you" Erica told him

"What is it?" Cliff asked seriously

"I knew Christian before April did" Erica admitted

"What are you talking about?" Cliff demanded

"I was in Tampa during the time AJ was training with Jay" Erica started "I met Christian through some mutual friends"

"What are trying to say?" Cliff asked her

"I really needed money" Erica said holding back tears "I wasn't the same person I am today you have to understand that"

"Just spit it out Erica" Cliff demanded

"I slept with Christian before April did" Erica admitted "But it wasn't a romantic thing it was a business thing"

"You were a prostitute?" Cliff asked stunned

"No!" Erica said quickly "I only ever did that with him"

"So how does AJ fit into all of this?" Cliff asked her

"He looked into me a lot and came across April" Erica told him tearfully "He was obsessed the moment he saw her picture. He asked about her all of the time and I was so sick with myself that I just wanted away from him and the entire situation so I told him where she worked and that's how they met."

"You sold your body to him?" Cliff asked still not believing all of this

"He was rich! I needed money! I didn't think this would all happen!" Erica yelled "I never would have pushed him to her if I knew this was how he was!" the more she tried to defend herself the more Cliff looked hurt "There's more" she admitted quietly

"Just say it Erica" Cliff said in an almost cold voice

"She kept blowing him off because she was still in love with Jay and not over their breakup so he offered me some extra cash to push her in the right direction" Erica said to him "She would never take my advice but I'd ask he to meet me places and not show up and he would just happen to be there…I didn't think it would work but it did"

"You sold your sister to the devil" Cliff said to her harshly "Do you realize how sick this is?"

"I know" Erica said quietly as tears ran down her face

"This man has tortured her! He's beaten her and-" Cliff started

"I know!" Erica shouted "I feel terrible"

"That's why you showed up out of nowhere" Cliff said to her "You didn't want to make things right you wanted to ease your guilt"

"I tried to get in touch with her after the stabbing but she was already in Hawaii during that time" Erica said to him

"Where were you when she was abducted? Or beaten with a belt? Or when Punk was hospitalized because he had the shit beat out of him!?" Cliff yelled. Erica had never heard Cliff yell ever. "He was going to have someone rape her in front of Punk in their own house! He almost raped her in prison! She was carrying _your_ niece during that time!"

"I know how bad this is" Erica said to him "I want to fix it"

"Are you going to go sell yourself to him again?" Cliff questioned

"No not if I don't have to" Erica said to him

"Who are you?" Cliff asked looking at her with disgust "We've been together for months and I feel like we just met"

"This is me" Erica promised "But you knew I had a past"

"I didn't realize how dark and scary it was" Cliff said to her

"Erica" the voice of Christian stopped them from arguing. He was stepping out of the hotel and was surprised to see the two "It's been a long time" Cliff felt his blood boiling

"Christian" Erica said wiping away her tears "I came here to see you"

"Wonderful" Christian smiled "Will your friend be joining us"

"No" Cliff said "And she's not either" he forcefully grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from the hotel and back towards their car

"Let go of me!" Erica yelled trying to pull her arm away

"If you want to sell yourself back to your keeper fine be my guest but you won't do it in front of me like that" Cliff said in an angry voice "You're not going to put your blood on my hands get in the car" Erica could tell by his tone he wasn't going to budge on this so she simply got into the car with him.

* * *

There wasn't a word said in the car ride back to the house. And once Cliff and Erica stepped into the house Cliff headed into a different guest bedroom and didn't even bother to go into the one he shared with Erica. She on the other hand couldn't sleep a wink and at about two in the morning she got a text message

_It was lovely seeing you again. I hope you still want to meet, we have a lot to discuss. –Christian_

Erica looked at he message and cringed slightly. Part of her felt dirty for even receiving the message from the man that was torturing her sister and family. She was living rent free in her house and if either April or Punk found out she had any form of contact with him they would throw her out so fast it would make her head spin. She was also worried Cliff was going to spill beans about her torrid past. She had always planned on telling April herself but every time she tried she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The only thing she could do now is try to fix everything she felt she created.

_Yes I want to meet with you. I'll come by your hotel tomorrow at eight pm_.

"What are you doing up?" AJ asked stepping into the kitchen with Quinn who was nestled against AJ's shoulder .

"I couldn't sleep" Erica admitted

"Did you and Cliff have a good night?" AJ asked her as she reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle and placed it into the microwave

"Yea it was great" Erica lied "What about you? What did you guys do?"

"We just caught up on some sleep" AJ said lying as well.

"I'm surprised Punk isn't up with her" Erica said to her "Isn't he the night feeder?"

"Yea but he was really exhausted" AJ smirked knowing she had tired him out completely "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked shuffling around the kitchen with Quinn

"Yea" Erica said brushing it off

"Is something wrong with the bedroom?" AJ asked her

"Why do you ask?" Erica asked

"I checked your room to see if you and Cliff were back and it was empty but Cliff was in another spare room" AJ said to her "If you two had a fight you could tell me" she laughed

"Maybe you were right" Erica said to her

"About what?" AJ asked as she fed Quinn her bottle

"Me and Cliff" Erica said to her quietly

"This is what your first fight?" AJ smirked "I'm sure you two will get passed it"

"I don't think so" Erica said to her "I told him some things about my past. You know what I was like back than and how questionable my behavior was"

"Yea" AJ sighed "I'm sure it was hard for you to tell him about some of that stuff but if I could get past it so can he"

"Are you really past it?" Erica asked her

"Yea" AJ said to her "You've been really great to me and my daughter adores you- you're not that same girl Erica"

"I don't think he'll ever forgive me" Erica said to her "He yelled at me."

"Really?" AJ asked stunned "I've only heard him yell once and that was Phil over the whole Eve thing"

"He really loves you like a sister" Erica said to her "You're lucky to have him"

"I know" AJ said simply with a smile "He's a great guy and all but he's also lucky to have you and he'll realize that"

"He's too good for me Ape you were right" Erica said shaking her head

"You've proved me wrong" AJ informed her then frowned "Do you want to tell me what you told him? Or I can talk to him if you want-"

"No" Erica said with an almost nervous laugh then stood up from the table "I'll take care of it but thanks anyway"

"Ok" AJ said to her "Going to bed?"

"Going to try" Erica said to her but as she was about to walk out of the kitchen she stopped and looked back at AJ "I'm really sorry Ape"

"For what?" she asked her

"For everything" was all Erica said then walked out of the kitchen leaving AJ confused

_I'll order dinner and your favorite wine with it. Please bring photos of your lovely niece and beautiful sister. I'll see you at eight sharp._

Erica looked at the response from Christian and wanted to gag but just placed her phone back into her jean pocket and headed up the stairs.


	71. Revelations

**Chapter 71: Revelations**

* * *

The next morning Cliff made his way down the stairs in hopes of finding Erica but instead he found Punk and Colt joking around in the kitchen.

"Oh look who it is" Punk laughed

"Hey did Ms. Mendez keep you up all night?" Colt teased

"Something like that" Cliff muttered. Both could sense Cliff was in an odd mood already.

"What's wrong?" Colt asked

"Yea AJ said Erica slept in a different bedroom what are you two fighting about?" Punk asked curiously as he sipped on his coffee

"It's complicated" Cliff said taking a seat with them "Can I ask you a question?"

"Hold up are you going to ask me for relationship advice?" Punk laughed "No one has ever asked me for relationship advice"

"Well congratulations you're in the most stable relationship" Cliff teased

"Hell has frozen over" Colt joked

"Alright ask the expert" Punk remarked proudly folding his arms and leaning back in the chair

"If AJ told you something about her past that you knew was wrong and could possibly affect other people today would you tell anyone?" Cliff asked

"That is the strangest question I've ever heard" Colt said seriously

"I have an answer" Punk said proudly

"Really?" Colt asked "You understood that ridiculous question?"

"Half of it" Punk smirked

"So would you?" Cliff asked

"I would never- _ever_ betray AJ's confidence" Punk said firmly

"What if she like murdered someone?" Colt asked

"I'd ask where she buried the body so I knew to cover it up" Punk smirked "If you're really in love you'll do anything to protect that person because you know she'd do the same for you"

"Even if protecting her meant hurting someone else?" Cliff asked

"No one is more important to me than AJ" Punk said to him "And Quinn but they're a package deal" he added with a grin

"Phil" AJ said coming into the kitchen with Quinn in her arms "Could you help me clean her up? She's been extra fussy this morning" she pouted. AJ was up most of the night with Quinn and Punk could tell she was reaching her breaking point

"Yea I've got it pass her over" Punk said taking her "Are you being bad for mommy?" he asked Quinn

"He'll be back soon" AJ promised Colt and Cliff as she walked out of the kitchen with them

"I can't believe how domesticated he is" Colt laughed

"I need to tell you something" Cliff said almost desperately

"Shit" Colt muttered "How bad is this thing with Erica?"

"Pretty bad" Cliff said "Unless I'm overreacting but you can't say anything to Punk or AJ"

"Alright" Colt groaned

"So last night Erica took me to the hotel where Christian was saying" Cliff started and Colt could already tell he wasn't going to like this "She wanted to talk to him and seemed to believe that he would give her the time of day"

"That's cute" Colt smirked "She just wants to help. What's so bad about that?"

"She told me she knew Christian before AJ did" Cliff confided "She used to have sex with him for money"

"Holy shit" Colt muttered

"It gets worse" Cliff said

"I already know too much" Colt said

"I need to get it out because I'm going nuts" Cliff said to him "Christian paid Erica to set him up with AJ. She gave him her personal information and would make sure she told him where she'd be. Once she started dating him he paid Erica and she took off"

"That's some really sick shit" Colt said seriously "I knew AJ and Erica had their differences but that's really twisted"

"She didn't know he was this crazy" Cliff defended lightly

"She sold her sister down the river for a few bucks" Colt said to him

"She wants to make it right" Cliff said to him "I think she's going to try and see him. We saw him last night and I had to physical drag her away"

"She's going to get herself killed" Colt told him bluntly "And it's going to backfire on AJ. You need to tell Punk and AJ what's going on"

"You heard what Punk said" Cliff reminded him

"Are you kidding me?" Colt laughed "I heard everything he said! The two most important in his life are his wife and daughter and they could be in serious trouble. And if you love Erica as much as you claim to then you need to say something so she doesn't get herself killed"

"I want to talk to her first" Cliff said to him "I'm going to give her the opportunity to tell them first but if she doesn't I will"

"How the hell did you let yourself get involved in this?" Colt asked him "Punk is going to kill you if you don't tell him right away. You know how he is when it comes to AJ and now add Quinn to that mix? You're just asking for an ass kicking"

"I would never put AJ or Quinn at risk and I am going to tell them if Erica doesn't but it's her story to tell and she should be the one to tell them or at least AJ" Cliff said to him

"This has the potential to get ugly really fast" Colt said to him seriously "If you don't tell them by tonight I will."

"I'll tell them" Cliff said quickly "But what does it matter if they know?"

"It matters because you can't even trust Erica" Colt said bluntly "How do you know she's still not in touch with him? Maybe he planted her here to spy on them and that's how he knows everything he knows"

"She would never do that" Cliff said offended

"You don't know her" Colt argued "AJ warned you about this"

"Erica loves her sister and Quinn" Colt told him "She's here to make it right she told me that"

"You can't trust her" Colt said to her "What if she's going to lead him straight to AJ?"

"That's crazy" Cliff argued

"This entire situation is crazy and I can't believe you're going to keep this from them after everything they've been through" Colt said surprised by Cliff's action "And now you've put me in a horrible situation"

"I'm going to make sure they know" Cliff clarified

"You should have told them as soon as you found out" Colt said seriously "You realize how bad this could get, I mean you do realize this guy wants to take Quinn away?"

"I would never let that happen" Cliff assured him "I would lay down my life for that little girl or for Punk and AJ for that matter"

"Prove it" Colt said to him "You've known Punk for years you owe him the truth more than you owe Erica"

* * *

Punk finished cleaning Quinn up and put her into her crib and ventured off into his room and found AJ laying in the bed.

"She's all clean" Punk said proudly

"Thanks baby" AJ smiled with her eyes closed. She felt Punk get on the bed and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back into his chest

"You should sleep a little while she's sleeping" Punk suggested

"I need to sleep a lot" she yawned "She was up most of the night"

"You should have woken me up I would have taken a shift" Punk said to her and she smiled because she knew he would.

"I didn't want to wake you up you looked so peaceful and had the biggest smile on your face" AJ said to him as she rolled over so they were face to face

"You were the reason for that smile" Punk smirked kissing her nose then pulled her against him so she would rest

"Last night was so good" AJ said smiling at the memory "We're not going to get many nights like that when she's sleeping and we both have enough energy"

"We'll make it work" Punk smirked

"You should go down stairs with Colt and Cliff" AJ said feeling herself drift off

"Nah I want to stay here with you" Punk said simply

"It's rude" AJ smirked against his chest

"I'm a rude guy" Punk said to her "I'd much rather nap with you"

"You're tired?" AJ asked him

"No but I like holding you" Punk said to her "Sleep I'll take over Quinn duty for the day"

"You're a good husband" AJ smiled "And dad" she lifted her head and kissed his chin but then quickly curled into him and drifted off to sleep

* * *

Erica emerged from her bedroom and passed by Punk and AJ's room and saw them both sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. She then peeked on Quinn who was awake in her crib but happily and content and gave her a kiss on her forehead before heading down the stairs. She was going to stop and speak to Cliff but she lost the nerve to do so when she heard him talking to Colt in the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and headed out the front door.

"Who was that?" Colt asked as Cliff glanced towards the door

"I think it was Erica" Cliff frowned

"Sneaking out?" Colt questioned "Looks like you're going to have to talk to them"

"Let me try calling her" Cliff said to him. He dialed her number but it went straight to voicemail

"Go up and tell Punk right now or I am" Colt warned "She might be bringing that lunatic back with her"

"She wouldn't do that!" Cliff shouted

"She was a hooker!" Colt yelled back

"Don't call her that!" Colt yelled "It was one time with him!"

"So she says" Colt mocked "She's a liar! You can't trust a word out of her mouth! I don't know what's worse, how horrible Erica or the fact that you've bought into her crap"

"I love her" Cliff said to him "Do not disrespect her"

"If I wasn't so alarmed by how stupid you're talking I would laugh" Colt shot at him

"What the hell is going on?" Punk asked annoyed entering the kitchen with AJ not far behind

"Nothing" Cliff said quickly

"You two were fighting" AJ said to them "We heard you all the way upstairs"

"Yea AJ was trying to sleep" Punk said annoyed "So I hope you both have a good reason for waking my wife and my daughter"

"Cliff has to tell you something" Colt said to him

"Well Cliff?" Punk asked folding his arms

"It's about Erica" Cliff said nervously "I don't even know how to say it"

"Is she ok?" AJ asked him the concern was evident in her voice

"She's the reason Christian is with you and she's still in touch with him" Colt said before Cliff could respond.

"What?" AJ asked him

"Dude" Cliff shot at him

"Shut up" Punk said pointing at Colt "You start talking right now" Punk said taking a step towards

"Erica told me last night that she used to sleep with Christian for money" Cliff started "He saw AJ and liked her so he paid Erica to nudge you in his direction."

"She's still in touch with him?" Punk questioned in a very dangerous tone

"She went to the hotel he was staying at last night because she wanted to talk him out of harassing AJ" Cliff said looking towards AJ but he couldn't read her face, Punk's on the other hand was furious and that was very easy for Cliff to see "We saw him they spoke briefly and he invited us up to his room to talk but I wouldn't let her go"

"You saw him?" Punk questioned "Are you out of your fucking mind!" he yelled

"Phil" AJ said stepping in front of him so he couldn't get towards Cliff "Relax"

"Did you not hear this story?" Punk asked AJ

"Yes I heard it" AJ said to him "And I really hope Erica hasn't snuck off to see him"

"Aren't you bothered by this?" Cliff asked her

"I knew about Christian and Erica" AJ said to him "Christian told me he had a relationship with her before we were together and he told me how he begged her to introduce us. I didn't realize there was money involved but usually there's always money involved when Erica is around"

"Where is she?" Punk asked still trying to hold back his anger

"She left" Cliff said to him "She literally just walked out the door and I tried calling her but her phone is off"

"She's probably going to see him" AJ said to them "We need to go get her. What hotel is he in?"

"Are you insane?" Punk mocked "No we're not going anywhere near that hotel"

"This is my sister" AJ defended "I know how she thinks and she's going to try to make things right but instead she's going to get hurt"

"How do you know she's not plotting with him?" Punk asked her

"Because I know her" AJ said simply

"I'll go over to the hotel and look around" Cliff offered

"You're not going alone" AJ said to him

"I'll go with him" Colt said to her "You two just hang out here"

"We'll be back" Cliff said and the two walked out the door. Punk began to walk away as well but AJ stopped him

"Where are you going?" AJ asked him

"I'm going to pack up your sisters stuff" Punk told her "She's not staying here"

"We should at least hear her out" AJ told him

"I don't need to hear anymore" Punk scoffed "I've heard more than enough. The fact that she had a physical relationship with that man makes me sick to my stomach"

"I did too" AJ pointed out

"You never hid it" Punk shot back "And you didn't do it for money"

"I sort of did" AJ reminded him quietly.

"You've told me you had feelings for him that you were even in love with him were you not?" Punk asked and she nodded "You didn't literally sleep with him and then take cash from him and also you were trying to help your family not yourself"

"She's my family" AJ reminded him

"You didn't want her around to begin with!" Punk laughed

"But now she's been around" AJ argued "And Cliff loves her can't we just talk this out first? At least for Cliff's benefit?"

"No" Punk said quickly "I'm worried about you and our daughter and I don't want anyone around either of you who has that kind of past with that man. This is my house and I'm not budging on this" Punk stormed off and left AJ in the kitchen alone

* * *

Cliff and Colt pulled up outside the hotel and looked around before getting out.

"I don't see her car" Cliff said to him

"Maybe they met up somewhere else" Colt suggested

"I don't think they'd go anywhere public" Cliff said to him

"What are you going to do?" Colt asked him "Are you going to stay with her?"

"I don't know" Cliff groaned "Can I really hold something like this against her?"

"I don't think Punk is ever going to talk to her again" Colt told him

"I know but I love this girl" Cliff argued lightly "She's trying to make things right"

"Who knows what else she used to do for money" Colt said to him

"How much worse could it get?" Cliff said to him "Besides I can't hold her past against her"

"Normally I would agree but her past is the cause for so many terrible things" Colt said to him

"She's not the reason he's done these things" Cliff argued "Don't put that on her. She loves AJ and Quinn she feels awful"

"She's a liar" Colt pointed out "How could you possibly believe anything she says or feels"

"Because I know her ok?" Cliff said annoyed

"Whatever man" Colt said to him "I just hope she's worth your friendship with Punk and AJ"

"AJ seemed really understanding" Cliff pointed out

"Yea but Punk didn't and you know she's going to agree with him. They also end up on the same page" Colt told him

"Or maybe he'll fold and give into her" Cliff said to him

"He's not going to change his mind on this. Anyone who he feels has wronged him or his wife is out of his good graces" Colt said to him

"Maybe we should go in" Cliff said with a sigh

"We're already here" Colt said with a laugh "It's already insane"

* * *

AJ walked into Erica and Cliff's guestroom they were staying in and true to his word Punk was packing up all of Erica's things.

"Seriously we need to talk about this" AJ said to him

"Seriously we already did" Punk mocked

"Phil" AJ said stepping further into the room "He'll kill her. I can't have that on my head and you don't want it on your head"

"Unlike you she knew what she was getting involved with when she decided to sleep with him and whore you out to him" Punk said not even looking back at AJ

"Quinn loves Erica" AJ reminded him

"Quinn loves everyone that feeds her" Punk scoffed "She won't even remember her"

"I will" AJ said to him

"AJ I hate being the bad guy here but I can have someone around my daughter that I don't trust" Punk said to her finally turning to look at her

"I understand but throwing her out on the street seems a bit harsh" AJ said to him

"I'll put her in a hotel" Punk said simply "Maybe she'll want to stay in the same one as Christian so they can hang out and laugh about everything they pulled over you"

"Phil-" she started but Quinn started to cry so she left the room and search of her daughter who was now awake and crying in her crib. Louie was faithfully at her crib waiting for Punk or AJ to come get her.

"Hi baby" AJ said picking her daughter up

"I'll take her" Punk offered stepping into the room

"Aren't you busy packing?" AJ questioned coldly

"No I think I'm done" Punk said simply as he took his fussy daughter from AJ "We need to be in agreement on this"

"What if he uses her to get to me?" AJ asked him "I don't want her to die or go through anything I had to"

"She should have thought about that" Punk said to her "She's an adult you don't have to take care of her anymore"

"She's still my sister and her and my brother are the only people that are my blood that I talk to" AJ said to him

"Blood doesn't make you family" Punk informed her "Actions make people your family and what she did to you is unforgivable"

"It's my family" AJ argued

"You're my family" Punk said firmly "I'm looking out for you I told you a while back I wouldn't make the same mistakes. If you're going to be mad at me for a little while that's fine I accept that but at least I know you'll be safe"

* * *

Christian had texted Erica a different address to meet at. She pulled up outside the large home and got out of the car.

"Erica" Christian smiled stepping out of the home "I'm happy you could make it"

"Is this your new home?" Erica asked unsurely

"This is just a house" Christian told her "It will be a home once it's filled with my family. Let me show you around"

"I'd rather speak out here" Erica said folding her arms as a cold breeze hit

"Come inside" he laughed walking to the door "I promise to be a perfect gentleman"

"I want you to leave April alone" Erica said to her

"April is my life" Christian told her

"This is twisted" Erica said to him "Stay away from her. She's moved on and you need to as well she has her own family now"

"It's not complete yet" Christian replied with a smile

"It's complete and she's happy" Erica said to him "Just stay away from her or else"

"Or else what?" Christian laughed

"I'll go to the press and tell them all about your sick sexual past" Erica threatened

"Please Erica I stabbed a woman in a public restroom, the last thing the press cares about is my sexual interests" Christian chuckled

"I will kill you" Erica said to him in a low voice "Does that scare you?"

"No" he laughed "Where did all of this concern come for your sister?" he asked

"I love my sister" Erica said to him

"No my dear you love money" Christian smirked "I know you"

"It's not about that anymore" Erica disagreed

"I will give you ten thousand dollars right now" Christian offered "All you have to do is convince April to come an see me"

"Not happening" Erica said coldly

"Twenty thousand" Christian said raising the offer

"No way" Erica said shaking her head

"Is he really that good in bed?" Christian questioned "I know all about you and that lonesome man you're living with"

"Don't talk about him" Erica warned

"Can he really provide the kind of life you want?" Christian asked her

"He's all I need" Erica said to him

"You can't exactly shop in all those stores you love so much" Christian pointed out

"This is over and you're just wasting my time now" Erica said abruptly "Stay away from my sister or I will cause you a lot more trouble"

"Bring it on Ms. Mendez" Christina grinned "Are you sure you don't want to come in? I've been in prison for a very long time and the only thing to satisfy me are the photos I have of April, being with you might scratch my itch"

"I'd rather scratch your eyes out" Erica spat

"You'll be back" Christian said to her "You'll need money eventually and you will most defiantly get bored with your perfect boring life" Erica just turned and jumped into her car and drove off.

* * *

Erica made it back to the house before Cliff or Colt. When she stepped inside it was dark in the living room but the light went one when she walked in and Punk was lying on the sofa with Quinn on top of his chest.

"You scared me" Erica said placing her hand over her racing heart. She then noticed the bags by the door. "What's going on?"

"You tell me" Punk responded almost coldly


	72. One Year

**A/N: Thanks to everyone has reveiwed so far! I read each review and appreicate it all! I have gotten a few comments about Christian being out of jail and how that's possible...honestly? I have no idea, I watch a lot of Soap Opera's and it happens all of the time on there lol I try to keep my stories as realistic as possible but I will push some lines to further the story. Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 72: One Year**

* * *

"What's going on?" Erica asked him as he sat up slightly with Quinn still nestled on his chest

"I'm going to put her upstairs wait here" Punk ordered and headed up the steps. A few minutes later he came back down.

"You packed up my things?" Erica asked with a laugh "I could have done that"

"Do you know why I packed up your stuff?" Punk asked folding his arms

"I'm assuming Cliff spoke to you" Erica said to him "I can explain everything"

"I don't think anything you say will change my opinion of you" Punk said bitterly "But I'm willing to hear you out because AJ feels bad"

"I had a past with Christian and it was strictly about the money" Erica told him "After I left Tampa I never spoke to him again"

"Didn't you speak to him last night?" Punk questioned "Where were you today?"

"I saw him briefly last night and yes I went to see him today" Erica admitted

"I've heard enough" Punk said to her "Get out of my house"

"I don't mind leaving" Erica told him "But I want to see my sister"

"No" Punk scoffed "I'm not going to let you guilt your sister into letting you stay here"

"I don't want to be here" Erica defended "But I do want to talk to her and she's my sister and I don't have to ask for permission"

"You're in my house" Punk reminded her "I have AJ's best interests at heart and I don't want you talking to her"

"I'm trying to help her" Erica argued "I went to see him to ask him to leave her alone"

"And how did that work out for you?" Punk mocked dramatically folding his arms

"It didn't" Erica admitted quietly "I feel horrible about this I thought I could fix it"

"You should feel horrible" Punk spat "You whored your little sister out so you could get a few bucks. How much is AJ worth by the way?"

"What?" Erica asked him

"How much money did Christian pay for her?" Punk questioned "I would love to know how much money it took to trade your sister off"

"I don't even remember" Erica said to him

"Sure you do" Punk said annoyed "I want to know"

"It was a couple thousand" Erica shrugged "Like three or four"

"Three or four thousand dollars?" Punk laughed

"I thought he just wanted an introduction I didn't realize it would turn into this!" Erica cried out

"What did you think was going to happen!" Punk yelled back

"This has been killing me" Erica sobbed "I hate what happened to her and I will make right. I want to make it right more than anything!" Punk eyed the crying woman in front of him and he did feel bad. She looked a lot like AJ but even more so when she cried. "I love April, I love Quinn and for some reason I even love you like a brother" she admitted as she cried "I want to help that's all"

"Ok" Punk sighed taping her shoulder as a way to calm her down "Just stop crying" he said starting to get annoyed "Alright" Punk said pulling her into a hug as she cried against his chest "It's ok…it's fine" He said to her "Maybe I overreacted"

"Erica?" AJ asked stepping down the stairs. She had clearly just woke up and rolled out of bed

"Thank jeebus" Punk muttered pulling away from Erica and pushing her towards AJ

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" AJ asked holding her sister

"Me?" Punk asked offended

"Not you" AJ said "Christian"

"Oh yea did something happen?" Punk asked

"No" she sniffled "He wouldn't listen to reason"

"That's no surprise" AJ said to her

"You have no idea what I've done to you" Erica said pulling away to look at AJ "You're never going to forgive me-"

"Just relax" AJ said to her "We have plenty of time to talk"

"I need to get out of here" Erica said to her

"No you need to calm down and talk to me" AJ ordered

"My stuff is all ready to go" Erica smirked "I made my bed I'll lay in it" AJ glared towards Punk

"It's fine" Punk said to her that's when Cliff walked in

"Erica-" Cliff started taking a step towards her

"I can't talk to you right now" Erica sobbed

"Come up to my room" AJ said wrapping her arm around her sister and leading her up the stairs

"What did I do?" Cliff asked Punk

"I don't know" Punk mumbled "I still don't understand women"

"Was she hurt?" Cliff asked him

"No she seemed fine" Punk said to him

"Do you think I should go up and talk to her?" Cliff asked

"Nah give her some time with AJ" Punk suggested

"You really packed her stuff up?" Cliff asked him "Are you making her leave?"

"That was the plan but she started to cry and she looked like AJ and it threw me off!" Punk said annoyed with himself "What is it with these Mendez women and why am I so powerless against them?"

* * *

AJ and Erica had been in the bedroom for hours. It was almost one in the morning and Punk had taken care of Quinn for the night and just put her to sleep. Cliff ventured off to bed himself and Colt fell asleep on the couch. He was in the kitchen watching the small TV they had in there.

"I didn't realize you were still up" the voice caused Punk to look behind him and saw AJ entering the kitchen

"Yea I mean believe it or not I didn't know where to sleep" Punk smirked "How's your sister?"

"She just fell asleep" AJ told him

"In our bed?" Punk asked annoyed "Where are we going to sleep?"

"There's a ton of other bedrooms" AJ smirked wrapping her arms around his chest and kissing his cheek from behind "Thank you for hearing her out"

"I didn't really hear much over the crying" Punk admitted

"She's really upset" AJ said to him "But we had a long talk and put everything on the table"

"What happened tonight?" Punk asked her "He didn't try anything with her did he?"

"He offered her money to lure me to him" AJ smirked. Punk just nodded "He met her at a house he bought"

"He bought a house out here in Chicago?" Punk asked and she nodded

"She didn't go in though" AJ told him

"Smart" Punk said to her "Who knows if he would have let her back out"

"We can't just throw her out" AJ said to him "She has no one and Cliff will be devastated"

"She's your sister" Punk told her "Besides we won't be here for long anyway"

"What do you mean?" AJ asked

"We're leaving town" Punk informed her "I told you if I found out he had a place out here we'd be leaving"

"We're going to Hawaii?" AJ asked hopefully

"Maybe" Punk smirked "I think a little getaway with just three of us would be nice"

"Don't forget Louie so four" AJ added

"Of course" Punk said to her "He's our built in babysitter"

"Yea he totally threw me over for Quinn" she frowned "He literally doesn't leave her alone if she's in there alone"

"He's a great dog" Punk said seriously

"When are we going to go?" AJ asked

"I'll make the arrangements tomorrow and by the end of the week we'll be gone" Punk told her

"What about Cliff and my sister?" AJ asked

"I mean they can come but I don't think they can just pick up and take off with us out of the blue. Some people actually have jobs" Punk laughed

"Yea I guess" AJ said to him

"You don't want to be alone with me?" Punk teased

"Of course I do" AJ smiled as she took a seat on his lap and kissed his cheek

"Good especially with today being such a big day" Punk said to her

"Today?" AJ questioned

"You forgot?" Punk asked with a laugh "Wow you really aren't the typical woman"

"Forgot what?" AJ asked seriously then it hit her "Oh my god how could I forget!"

"Happy one year anniversary" Punk grinned proudly that he actually remembered.

"I'm so sorry baby" AJ said feeling horrible

"We've been busy I get it" Punk assured her

"It's no excuse" AJ said to him "I will make this up to you I promise"

"Well I got you a present but it's hidden in our room I don't want to wake up your sister" Punk said to her

"I can't believe I forgot" AJ said slapping her forehead

"Don't worry about it seriously" Punk said to her

"I'm a horrible wife" AJ said to him and he just laughed

"No you're a busy wife. You're taking care of our newborn daughter, me, your sister and our friends" Punk pointed out

"Well you've made me very happy this last year" AJ said to him honestly "I love you very much"

"I love you too" Punk said lightly kissing her lips but couldn't pull away when AJ deepened the kiss. She adjusted her body so she was sitting on him while being face to face and pressing her lower half into his "I'm having flashbacks" Punk admitted with a smile pulling away "Of the last time you had me in a chair"

"The little striptease" AJ smirked as she began to kiss his neck "Good times"

"If we didn't have such a full house now I'd demand an encore" Punk said to her and she pulled away

"To make this up to you I guarantee you not only an encore but something else you've annoyingly asked for in the past" AJ said to him and his eyes widened

"I've asked for a lot of sexual things" Punk said to her

"You act like you're deprived" AJ scolded with a laugh slapping his shoulder lightly

"Ouch" He teased "Ok tell me"

"I'll let you tape it" AJ told him

"You're kidding" Punk said not believing for a second she'd finally give into this. After he heard she had an 'accidental' tape he had begged her countless times

"Nope" AJ assured him "Maybe we'll get a night in Hawaii when we don't have people sleeping in every room"

"You're not just teasing me right?" Punk asked her seriously "I get another dance and a tape?"

"You get both" AJ smiled leaning in and kissing him "But if that tape ever gets out-"

"-I would never let that happen" Punk assured her "No one gets to see you like that but me" he said almost possessively as he ran his hands up and down her clothed body. When ever he spoke in that possessive dark voice it always did something to AJ that caused her stomach to twist. He smiled because he knew what that did to her and he could begin to feel it himself. "You love it when I talk like that? Claim you" he smirked as he nipped at her lips

"Maybe" she replied shyly

"You're mine" he reminded her as he lifted her laugh hand and kissed over her rings "And I want you so bad" he admitted as he nibbled on her finger

"I don't care if there is people everywhere today is our anniversary and I want to celebrate…properly" she said to him as she rested her forehead against his and began to pant, her need for him was growing as she felt him harden against her

"We have to go back to this whole you're mine and I don't want anyone seeing you the way I should- I'm the only one who is going to see you that way ever" he warned as he sunk his teeth into on top of her breast, thankfully the tank-top she was wearing was hung low enough.

"That's going to bruise" AJ smirked

"Good" Punk said as he ran his tongue over it

"There's other rooms" AJ reminded him

"You're so loud" Punk reminded her

"The gym" AJ suggested "No one will hear us down there" she said to him "I have the walkie from Quinn's room and everyone is here with her…"

"You want me to fuck you on the gym floor?" Punk laughed "That's not exactly what I had in mind for our anniversary"

"It doesn't have to be the floor" AJ suggested "There's walls down there and benches…" she grinded hard against him causing him to gasp

"Ok whatever you say" He said standing up but not letting her go. She wrapped her legs around his waist and continued to kiss his face as he tried to quietly lead them down to the gym. AJ proved to be very distracting for him as he knocked into a few things on the way

"Shhh" She giggled quietly against him "We're going to get caught"

"I can't believe we're married and sneaking around to have sex in our home" Punk said annoyed as he reached for the doorknob to the gym.

"It's kind of exciting" AJ said as he carried her down the steps and flicked on the lights. She jumped out of his arms and roughly pushed against the wall

"Yes it is" he said smiling at the aggressive side of his wife. He watched as she quickly pulled down his shorts and boxers

"Since I forgot to buy you something for our anniversary let me give you a gift that I know you love" She said licking her lips

"I mean if you want-" Punk started but within a second AJ was on her knees and taking Punk into her mouth…

* * *

Erica woke up a few hours later and was surprised AJ was gone. She got out of the bed and checked out Quinn's nursery and saw she was fast asleep with Louie by her crib. She then ventured down to the room she had been sharing with Cliff but he wasn't in there either. That's when she walked down the steps and saw Colt and Cliff were watching late night infomercials on TV.

"Why are you both up?" Erica asked them "And why is the TV so loud? The baby is sleeping upstairs"

"Well Punk and AJ seem to think the gym is sound proof" Colt said to her seriously

"What do you mean?" Erica asked

"Today is their one year anniversary I'm assuming they're celebrating" Cliff told her but not looking at her

"It's only been their anniversary for like three hours" Colt said disgusted "And I heard them going down the steps and that over an hour ago!" he told the two "They've been going at it without a fucking break for well over an hour"

"I'm sure they took a break" Erica smirked

"Is Erica as loud as AJ?" Colt asked Cliff who looked mortified

"Probably" Erica laughed.

"Well I'm uncomfortable" Colt said standing up "I'm going to go try to get some sleep upstairs in another room"

"Keep in ear out for Quinn let them enjoy themselves for the night" Erica requested

"Yea, yea. Maybe I'll just bunk in there with her and Louie. They're the only sane ones in this house anyway" Colt mumbled walking up the stairs

"Are you still mad at me?" Erica asked Cliff

"I'm confused" Cliff said turning off the TV but quickly put it back on when he heard the noise from downstairs "I'm upset you didn't tell me about Christian, I'm pissed by what you did to AJ and I just don't get how you could see him again"

"I wanted to fix things" Erica repeated "Being with you has made me a better person. I thought if I was able to fix this before I told you about this mess you would forgive me"

"There's nothing to forgive" Cliff said to her "You didn't wrong me you wronged a lot of other people though"

"I know" Erica said to him

"And you went to see him tonight knowing everything he's done to AJ" Cliff said in a low voice "You could have been seriously hurt or killed"

"I wasn't" Erica reminded him "I'm ok. I mean he kind of freaked me out"

"Why?" Cliff asked "Did he try something?" he asked feeling his blood boil

"No it's just he's so deranged" Erica said to him "He bought a house out here that he thinks he's going to fill with a family. And by family I'm assuming my sister and niece"

"He is stupid if he thinks Punk is ever going to let that happen" Cliff said to her "He'll take care of AJ and Quinn, let me take care of you"

"No one has ever wanted to take care of me before" Erica admitted quietly

"Well get used to it" Cliff said with a soft smile

* * *

The next morning AJ ran up the stairs after realizing her and Punk had fallen asleep and she hadn't heard Quinn wake up once. She thought something was terribly wrong but all of her fears were put to rest when she saw Quinn was in her highchair being fed by Erica and Colt and Cliff cooking.

"Thank god" AJ said walking over to Quinn "I didn't even realize she was up! Why didn't anyone get me?"

"Because we were already up" Colt shrugged

"And we thought you and Punk would need to sleep in a little after the long night you two had" Erica remarked

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked blushing slightly and rubbing the back of her neck

"We heard you two boning" Erica told bluntly "Also you don't have any pants on" she said to her sister as he held the bottle up for Quinn still. AJ was wearing a long tank-top but not long enough to hide her underwear fully

"Shit" AJ muttered pulling the tank-top down to cover herself better

"Where's Punk? Did you kill the poor guy?" Cliff asked with a frown

"What a way to go though" Colt said with a wide smile earning a hard slap to the back of his head

"Don't be disgusting" Punk warned.

"How about you two go upstairs take a shower- preferably separate" Erica said to them giving them a disgusted look "Then come back down because we're cooking you both an anniversary breakfast"

"Really?" AJ asked surprised

"Really" Erica confirmed "But seriously go put some pants on there are other men in the kitchen"

"Right" AJ blushed

"I don't mind" Cliff said seriously

"I wasn't complaining" Colt added

"Stop" Punk warned them as AJ quickly kissed the top of Quinn's head then headed out of the kitchen.

"I'm leaving right after I'm done feeding Quinn" Erica informed Punk

"You don't have to go" Punk said to her "Last night is what I call an 'overreaction' and I should have heard you out first"

"You're looking for April and Quinn- don't apologize for that" Erica said to him "And you weren't wrong"

"I was" Punk said to her "You can stay as a matter of fact we're going to need house sitters so I was thinking you and Cliff could stay here while we're gone"

"You're really leaving?" Cliff asked

"Yea" Punk told him "I'm finalizing everything today"

"How come they get to crash here?" Colt asked annoyed "I helped unpack this entire place"

"You can stay too" Punk said "I don't give a shit who stays as long someone stays" he then looked towards Erica "But I need a favor"

"What's that?" Erica asked

"I want the address to Christian's house" Punk said to her

"Do you-" Cliff started

"Don't speak" Punk warned Cliff but kept his eyes on Erica "I need that address"

"Sure" Erica said to him "But I think it's dangerous" she said pulling out her phone and passing it to him once she found the message with the address Christian sent her

"You really can't just show up there" Colt said being serious for a moment "He'll kill you or goad you into hurting or killing him and either way you'll be gone"

"I don't even want to see him" Punk said to him "I just want to get in there and see if I can find anything out"

"You want to break in?" Cliff asked him

"I have to try to get some insight on him it's the only one way I'll be one step ahead of him" Punk told them

"Let me help" Erica suggested

"No" Punk said quickly

"Seriously I'll call him and ask him to meet with me" Erica suggested "This way you know you could get into his place without worrying about him surprising you"

"Too risky for you" Punk said to her "I'll do this alone"

"I'll go with her" Cliff offered "As long as you take Colt with you"

"How the hell do I keep getting volunteered for this stuff?" Colt asked the small group "Are you just going to leave AJ here like a sitting duck than?"

"I'll call my sisters" Punk told him

"He kept asking me to come into the house" Erica told them "Something strange is going on in there"

"This is such a bad idea" Colt mumbled

"Nobody tells AJ a thing" Punk warned

"You're going to lie?" Cliff asked surprised "Really? After everything?"

"I'm not going to lie I'm going to tell her everything right after I get back" Punk told him "No sense in worrying her"

"Bad idea" Colt repeated "Nobody cares what I think?"

"Are you coming with me or not?" Punk asked him annoyed

"Of course" Colt said just as annoyed "I'm not going to let you walk into a trap by yourself"

"Call him" Punk said passing Erica back her phone


	73. Half A Step Ahead

**Chapter 73: Half A Step Ahead**

* * *

It wasn't easy to sneak away from AJ today. Erica and Cliff told her they were going to try to talk things over privately at their own place, Colt told her he needed Punk to help move some things at his place and then his sisters just happened to drop by. AJ knew something was up but she was too preoccupied with packing up everything before they left.

"This is it" Colt said pulling up in front of the house "Big house"

"Yea" Punk said unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car.

"Are you sure about this?" Colt asked jogging up to Punk as he walked around the house to the back, it would be easier to get in he assumed from the back.

"I need to know what he's doing" Punk reminded him "You don't have to come any further"

"I'm already here" Colt groaned.

"Hey!" A voice shouted. A short stocky man came up to them "What are you doing?" clearly he was working on the house, he was messy and holding a hammer

"We-" Punk started but wasn't sure what to say

"Christian sent us" Colt said to him coolly

"Christian?" the man asked "You're on first name basis with him?"

"We're very good friends" Colt informed him with a smile

"Oh you must be Mr. Cryer" the man said nervously

"Yes but you can call me Pete" Colt said to him. Pete was the man that was arrested for breaking into AJ and Punk's place well over a year ago- he was out too? Punk asked himself

"Sorry he said you'd be by later" the man said to him quickly "I know you're here to overlook everything" the short man ran to the back door and unlocked it for him "Just give me a shout when you're done and I'll lock up again"

"Great" Colt said stepping into the house with Punk following behind him

"That was brilliant" Punk smirked towards Colt

"That guy Pete is out?" Colt asked alarmed "And he's probably on his way here so we need to make this fast"

"Yea I'm not afraid of Pete" Punk said waving off Colt's fear "You hate upstairs and I'll look around down here"

"Fine" Colt groaned heading up the stairs

Punk looked around the living room, opening drawers as he passed them but they were all empty. He did notice the framed photos all around the living room of Christian and AJ back from when they were dating. There must have been six photos in the living room alone. Another thing Punk noticed was all the doors were locked. He couldn't tell if these doors were for bedrooms, bathrooms or closets. The only door that was unlocked was one that he assumed led to the basement. He walked down the concrete steps and reached for a light switch. When there was light in the dingy basement he was horrified by what he saw. It was like a dungeon. There was a small cot, chains attached the wall, toilet, a small shower that didn't even have a curtain around it and worst of all a playpen for a small child. He glanced in and saw it already had toys inside. He could also tell from the time he spent with his musician friends that the walls were in the process of being soundproof.

"Punk" Colt called from up the stairs "You need to see this" Punk looked around the basement one final time then headed up the stairs in search of Colt.

"This place is sick and not good sick but the man who lives here is absolutely insane" Colt said as he led Punk upstairs "Most of the doors are locked but this one" he opened the door and saw it was child's nursery it was actually almost identical to Quinn's room at their home.

"This is Quinn's room right?" Colt asked Punk and he nodded. AJ had insisted on putting a framed photo of each other in Quinn's room but in this room it was a photo of Christian and AJ. Punk picked up the photo and threw it across the room "Punk" Colt said nervously "We should get out of here"

"Not yet" Punk said to him and began to trash the room. He ripped the curtains down knocked over the crib, broke the dresser, ripped up the posters hanging up and stepped on and threw as many toys as possible. He even ripped up some stuffed animals.

"Something else that's creepy besides most of the doors being locked so are the windows" Colt told him "I tried to open one to see if anyone could have a view from here but it's nailed shut and so are the windows in the living room. Also this door locks from the outside which is probably why I got in so easily"

"He thinks he's going to bring my daughter here" Punk said with disgust and stormed out of the room he then tried to open the door across the hall but it was locked

"I told you already they're all locked-" Colt started but Punk simply kicked the door in

* * *

Erica sat nervously at the table as she spotted Christian approaching the table. She felt her knee jumping but in an instant her jumping knee was calmed when she felt Cliff place his hand over it.

"I'm here" Cliff whispered into her ear

"Ms. Mendez I see you invited Mr. Compton" Christian smiled extending his hand but neither accepted it. He took a seat across from them "I'm assuming you've made a decision about my business proposal"

"She hasn't given you any thought" Cliff told him coldly "We're here to tell you that Erica doesn't work for you and not to try to contact her again"

"Ms. Mendez contacted me first" Christian defended "And she used to work for me" he said smiling towards her

"He knows all about it and so does April so you can't hold anything over me anymore" Erica told him  
"So why did you call me here?" Christian questioned "You could have declined my generous proposition over the phone. Are you trying to set me up for the police? I can assure you I haven't committed any crimes or maybe your brother-in-law is lurking around her looking to take me out. He was awfully mad at me the last time he came to se me"

"I wouldn't do that because I'd hate to see him go to prison for doing the world a service" Erica spat

"Maybe he'd just get out" Cliff shrugged "Clearly killers and attempted murders could come and go as they please"

"I have a lot of friends in high places" Christian smirked "Mr. Brooks doesn't have senators on speed dial as a matter of fact his only friend of power was his boss Mr. McMahon and he's burned those bridges"

"He hasn't lost any sleep over it" Cliff grinned

"No sleep at all?" Christian asked surprised "I hope he is helping poor April with motherhood. I'm assuming that pretty little girl-"

"Don't go there" Cliff warned him in a dangerous voice "Don't talk about her"

"She's innocent and completely untainted by you and we're going to see to it that it stays that way" Erica said just as coldly

"I'm not a poison" Christina informed them "I'm just a man"

"You're not a man" Erica said disgusted "You're a bully in an overpriced suit"

"Mr. Brooks said to that to me once" Christian laughed "Ask him if I'm all talk and no action" he then stood up "As much as I'd like to enjoy this dinner I'll save you both from the empty threats that you will enviably say. You can't touch me, you can' hurt me or kill me. I am superhuman" he informed them "Tell April I'll be seeing her soon"

"I will kill you" Cliff said to him "And I'll do the time it will be so worth it"

"You're very loyal to April and Mr. Brooks" Christian said to him "It would be a shame if you stood in my way and got hurt, April would be devastated" he then turned and gracefully walked away

"Call them and tell them he's on his way back" Erica told Cliff

* * *

Colt answered the phone once he saw it was Cliff calling. AJ had called earlier and asked to talk to Punk but he had to bullshit his way out of that he knew that she knew he was lying.

"Yea we're already gone" Colt said to him "….no we're not home yet we had to make a pit stop…..no ew man" Colt said annoyed "the hospital….no I'm fine he hurt his hand….how do you think? He has like the worst temper….no I'll tell you all about it once we get back because he's going to tell AJ too….it wasn't good…." Colt glanced over and saw Punk walking over to him with his hand wrapped "…he's here now I'll see you in a few minutes" then hung up "How's the hand?"

"I needed a few stitches" Punk shrugged looking at it

"You shouldn't have done that" Colt said to him "If he calls the police and reports a break in your blood is all over the place"

"He's not going to call the police and bring them to that place" Punk said to him "He'd have to explain why it's designed like a prison"

"You are going to tell AJ right? She's called me a few times" Colt said to him

"Yes I'm going to tell her" Punk sighed "And then we're leaving first thing in the morning"

"Good" Colt said to him "That place freaked me out"

"You should have seen the basement" Punk said as they walked towards the car "I'm assuming that's where AJ was going to stay"

"Couldn't have been worse than Quinn's room" Colt said to him

"At least Quinn had windows in her room" Punk said to him "AJ room was like a dungeon"

"I kind of assumed the master bedroom was AJ's room" Colt said quietly

"Don't talk about that room" Punk warned "Let's just get back so I can explain this all to AJ and hope she doesn't beat my ass"

* * *

AJ was in the living room when Punk arrived at home and she was not pleased. Her arms were folded as she glared towards him.

"Hey" Punk said nervously as Colt followed him

"Colt, Cliff and Erica are upstairs with Quinn would you mind joining them?" she asked Colt but didn't take her eyes off of her husband. She already knew…

"She twisted my arm!" Cliff yelled from the top of the steps "I mean literally twisted I think she broke something!"

"Wuss" Punk muttered as Colt raced up the steps and dragged Cliff away from the top of them

"Well" AJ said to him "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Yes actually" Punk said seriously then smiled "I love you"

"Wrong answer" AJ said narrowing her eyes

"Really? That's cold" Punk smirked

"What happened to your hand?" She asked him

"I hit a mirror" Punk said honestly

"In Christian's house?" AJ asked

"Yes" Punk said to him

"Why did you go there? Why didn't you tell me? That was so stupid to do Phil!" AJ yelled standing up "Not only that but you involved my sister and Cliff!"

"I needed to get inside I wanted answers" Punk defended

"And did get any? Was it worth the risk?" AJ questioned

"Yes!" Punk said to her "It's like a giant prison! The doors are all locked, the windows are nailed shut and he has Quinn's room"

"What do you mean has her room?" AJ asked folding her arms

"It's an exact replica of her room. I'm assuming Dan got some shots of it before he got arrested" Punk told her "Don't worry though it isn't anymore"

"You trashed it?" AJ asked still very angry

"Destroyed it" Punk said seriously

"Good" AJ said just as seriously "What else was there?"

"I don't think you want to know" Punk said to her

"Don't you dare" AJ warned "You tell me everything!"

"A lot of photos of you" Punk told her "I mean in every room. There's a creepy basement to keep someone chained up it has a playpen in it as well…"

"Probably for me" AJ said to him nodding "What else?"

"Like I said most of the doors were locked but I kicked down one door and it was his bedroom. He had a lot of female clothing along your style and all in your sizes, a closet filled with converse in your shoe size. There was a large cage in there I don't know if he thinks Louie would actually not kill him-"

"If it was in the bedroom it was meant for me as well" AJ said to him

"Yea I thought so" Punk said quietly

"I don't suppose there was a room for you there?" AJ questioned

"No I don't think I'm in his plans" Punk said to her "He's not bringing you there"

"The fact that he's gone through all of this trouble is so disturbing" AJ said to him

"We knew he was sick and we knew he was plotting something" Punk said to her

"When are we leaving?" AJ asked him

"I'm going to book our first flight for seven then we have a few layovers so Louie can get a break" Punk told her and she nodded "I didn't mean to lie to you and I was going to tell you I just didn't want you to worry in the meantime that's all"

"He's going to know you were there" AJ told him quietly "We shouldn't even stay here the night"

"We'll be fine" Punk told her

"You say that a lot" AJ reminded him

"What's that supposed to mean?" Punk asked

"Nothing" she said quickly "I'm just a little thrown off that's all. I've been packing all day and didn't sleep last night. I just don't understand why it was ok for you to go there but not me"

"Because I'm not the one he wants" Punk said to her

"I hate when you keep me in the dark about things like this especially if it involves my daughter" AJ told him hurtfully

"I didn't keep you in the dark I told you everything" Punk said

"You're wrong and you know it" AJ said to him "But you know what? I'm going to let it go because we're going to be traveling together for a while and basically trapped on a beach together for god knows how long and I don't want Quinn to feel tension but I swear to you if you lie to me about something like this again I really mean it Phil we're going to have a big problem in the marriage and one that I don't think can be fixed"

"Understood" Punk said almost nervously. He could tell by the look in her eye she wasn't messing around.

"Good" AJ said coldly then walked past him and headed up the steps "I love you Phil" she said looking over her shoulder at him then walked up the steps herself.

* * *

Christian was in the nursery looking around the mess casually with his hands in his pockets.

"The one claimed to be me" Pete said walking over to Christian "The way he described the other man was defiantly Mr. Brooks"

"Of course" Christian said with a slight chuckle "They set me up. They actually outsmarted me for once"

"It won't happen again" Pete assured him "I'll see to it"

"Good" Christian said to him "He also ripped apart my bedroom and it's covered in blood I'm assuming he cut himself on the mirror he broke"

"It will all be cleaned up in no time" Pete assured him

"He just set us back slightly but that's fine" Christian said to him "I'm on to him now"

"He's also on to you" Pete said to him "What do you think he's going to do?"

"He's not going to kill me" Christian chuckled "But he might be running. We need to look into flight planes and see if they've booked anything out of town yet"

"Of course" Pete said to him

"I also want to get into their house" Christian said to him

"I think that's a terrible idea" Pete said to him

"Not me personally" Christian laughed "I want there home ruined like mine was. See who would could get"

"They have a lot of security and the police are always around" Pete reminded him

"I don't pay you to tell me it can't get done I pay you to make sure it gets done" Christian told him coldly "Take a few days and assemble a few men or do you need me to do that to?"

"I've got it sir" Pete said to him

* * *

Later that night AJ was in bed feeding Quinn her bottle. She was pretty quiet most of the night and that really bothered Punk.

"So I decided against air travel" Punk said to her "I figure we hop on the bus tomorrow and ride as far as we can go so we can take a shorter flight. It will take us a few days but it's safer"

"Smart" AJ simply said as she kept her eyes on Quinn

"I really hate that you're mad at me" Punk said to her

"I'm not mad I'm frustrated" AJ said briefly casting her eyes over to his "I hate that this Christian mess doesn't have an end in sight, I hate that we have to leave our home and sneak away"

"It'll be fun" Punk said to her as he reached into his dresser "We had a great time in Hawaii last time and now our daughter can enjoy it" he walked over to the bed and placed something on the bed

"What's that?" AJ asked nodding towards the wrapped box

"It's your anniversary present" Punk said to her

"I don't want it" AJ said to him and he just smiled

"You love presents and no matter how secretly mad you are at me you want to open it" Punk said to her "I'll feed Quinn" he offered extending his arms

"You can't just buy me off" AJ said to him seriously

"I know" Punk said quickly "I already had this gift and whether you were mad at me or not you were getting it today regardless"

"I guess that's kind of true" AJ said eyeing the box out of the corner of her eye

"Come on you know you want it" Punk teased gesturing for her to hand Quinn over

"Fine" AJ said carefully placing Quinn into his arms and then reached for the box. She unwrapped it quickly and pulled out a necklace. She was not big on jewelry at all but she never took off the bracelet he gave her for her birthday and she already loved the necklace but it wasn't just a necklace she noticed as she pulled it out, it was actually a locket. "It's beautiful" AJ said mesmerized by the gold locket

"Open it" Punk said to her and she opened the heart and saw a picture of her babies- Louie and Quinn

"It's so great" AJ smiled

"Yea? Not to over the top?" Punk asked

"I'm actually starting to worry about how you have such impeccable taste in women's jewelry" AJ smirked she leaned over and carefully kissed his lips so she wouldn't disturb Quinn "I still feel bad I didn't get you anything"

"Just start talking to me again and we'll call it even, deal?" Punk suggested

"I guess" AJ smiled "Do you really think we'll be safe in Hawaii?" she asked him

"He's not even going to know where there" Punk assured her "I've given this a lot of thought"

"He can't get to her" AJ said looking at Quinn "Promise me that no matter what happens you'll always pick her and you won't let him touch her no matter what"

"I promise" Punk said quietly "I'll take care of you both"

"Forget about me and concentrate on her" AJ demanded "She's your priority now"

"AJ I'm not going to throw you to the wolves" Punk said to her "I'm finally half a step ahead of this guy"

"I hope we stay that way" AJ said to him

"We will" Punk said to her "He doesn't have all the power and people he used to have before he went in" he reminded her "It was way to easy for me to get in there today and I know that wasn't part of his plan"

"I guess" AJ said to him "So Pete is out too?"

"Yea" Punk sighed "I didn't see him but they mentioned him"

"When do you think it will be over?" AJ asked him "Obviously prison isn't an option"

"I don't know" Punk said to her "We just have to take everything one day at a time" Punk pulled the bottle away once Quinn finished "The Queen is full" he smirked holding up Quinn and placing her over his shoulder. AJ grabbed a bib and placed it over his shoulder for him so he could burp her

"I should do that" AJ said to him "Your hand is bandaged"

"It's fine" Punk said to her using his un-bandaged hand to lightly tap Quinn's back

"Can she sleep in here tonight?" AJ asked him "I'd feel better if she in our bed tonight"

"Yea" Punk said to her "Louie is already here right?" he asked glancing around the room

"He's by my side of the bed" AJ smirked

"He always is" Punk replied.

After burping and changing Quinn they laid he down in-between them and they both watched as she happily sucked on her pacifier.

"She seems so happy" AJ smirked running her hand through the few strands of hair Quinn actually had

"She is. She has the life" Punk said seriously "She sleeps whenever she wants, she gets carried everywhere, fed whenever she asks and doesn't even have to get up to use the bathroom"

"I guess" AJ giggled "I love her so much" she said leaning down and kissing the top of her head "And you" she smirked not wanting Punk to feel neglected

"Stop talking like it's the end" Punk warned "This is just the beginning. We're going to have an amazing time in Hawaii and we're going to be completely safe."

"Ok" AJ agreed

"By the way I love you both two but I'm pretty sure that goes without saying" Punk smirked

"It's nice to hear once in a while" AJ teased

"I tell you both everyday" Punk said to her "This last year of our marriage has been insane and in a good way- well mostly good anyway" he said to her "I know we had a lot of rough times and scary moments but all the good times make up for it. And we're going to have many more"

"Where do you think we'll be a year from now?" AJ asked him

"I think we'll be right here" Punk said to her "With her nestled between us, you'll be only a few weeks pregnant with my son by this point and I'll have my own podcast and band"

"I was thinking we could wait a few years" AJ said to him

"Why a few years?" Punk asked seriously

"Because not every baby is going to be easy as this one" AJ smirked tickling Quinn's belly "And I want some time to enjoy just her"

"I guess but I'm not changing my one year fantasy" Punk said to her

"Fine" she said and kissed him tenderly they pulled away when Quinn started to get fussy

"She's so cute when she's mad" Punk smirked "She makes the same face you do"

"She does not" AJ laughed as Punk picked her up

"She totally does" Punk laughed looking as his daughter face turned red and she was about to start crying "Look at this face! It's your face!"

"You are so mean no wonder she's crying" AJ teased taking Quinn from him "It's ok daddy's a jerk sometimes but you'll get used to it"

"Hey I'm not a jerk" Punk defended

"You're a jerk and you know it" AJ smirked

"Not to you or Quinn" Punk said to her

"Well you're not one to Quinn and I know you never will be but you were to me, do I have to remind you of that time-" AJ started

"Let it go" Punk said quickly "I've apologized a hundred times for the way I spoke to you before we dated"

"I know I just like seeing you get all flustered" AJ laughed "Your daddy is so easy to make fun of Queen Quinn and I am going to teach all the ways to get under his skin" she said to Quinn

"You both are already ganging up on me and she's not even five months old" Punk said to her "Not fair"


	74. Chick Magnet

**Chapter 74: Chick Magnet**

* * *

It had taken six days with bus travel and one long flight to make it to Hawaii but Punk, AJ, Quinn and Louie all arrived and were looking forward to their first family vacation.

"Everything is perfect" AJ said as she unpacked Quinn's room.

"Yea they did a good job and included everything I asked for" he said looking around. He had requested a crib and some other baby items.

"I can't wait to bring Quinn to the beach" AJ said happily "Her and Louie are going to love it"

"Last time we were here it was just us" Punk reminded her "I can't believe how much has changed"

"Look at this bathing suit I have for Quinn" She said holding up the little two-piece

"A two piece?" Punk mocked "She's four months old"

"It even has a matching hat" AJ said holding up the hat making a cute face

"I don't want her in a two piece" Punk said to her and she laughed

"She's only four months" AJ giggled

"If you start her off wearing them she'll think it's ok to wear them when she's older" Punk pointed out

"She can wear them when she's older" AJ smirked as she placed more clothes into her drawer

"Not my little girl" Punk said picking Quinn up out of her crib "Long sweaters and sweatpants everyday even at the beach, right?" he asked his daughter

"Well now that I'm mostly back at my target weight I was going to wear a bikini myself it matches Quinn's" AJ informed him

"Already back at your target weight? I'm glad to hear it does that mean you're going to actually eat again?" Punk mocked. AJ had been on a crazy diet since having Quinn but she didn't gain much weight while pregnant anyway that was even a problem during her pregnancy. "And I don't want you wearing a bikini either so you both can take your matching bikinis and exchange them for full pieces"

"Daddy is so crazy" AJ said looking over to Quinn

"Yes he is" Punk agreed as he looked Quinn "So make sure you always listen to your crazy daddy" he said to his daughter

"So how long did you rent this place for?" AJ asked him "I mean what's the timetable?"

"Right now a month but if we want to stay I can just extend it since I reserved the place for a while" Punk told her

"I have to tell you it's been so great to be on the road with just us" AJ admitted to him "For the first time in a long time I was at such peace and it feels like we're a normal family for once"

"Good that's what I was hoping for" Punk said to her

"Did you call Cliff and ask him how things are at the house?" AJ asked him

"No I'm assuming if something was wrong he'd tell me" Punk shrugged "I don't even want to touch my phone while I'm with you"

"I bet he's throwing a huge party" AJ smirked

"He better not be" Punk said seriously "I don't want a bunch of idiots running around my home drunk"

"Erica will keep them in line" AJ assured him "They deserve a break and to have fun"

"They're staying in our multi-million dollar home for free that's good enough" Punk said to her

"Well this is me telling you that Cliff asked if he could have a small party and I said ok" AJ said smiling

"Why would you agree to that?" Punk asked her "I don't want strangers in our home"

"Cliff wouldn't invite anyone that he thought was bad" AJ smirked "And he's not going to give anyone our security codes or anything relax"

"You don't know Cliff well enough yet to know how annoying his friends are" Punk said seriously

"And you don't know Erica well enough to know that she will keep everyone in line" AJ said to him "Let them have fun" AJ said seriously "Do not call them and make them cancel it"

"If I go home and anything is broken or missing I'm killing Cliff" Punk warned

"They need a chill out time too" AJ reasoned "They've been with us through everything"

"Fine I don't want to talk about it anymore I just want to enjoy our time away and put all bad thoughts behind us" Punk told her seriously "Let's enjoy a peaceful vacation together"

"Sounds good" she said standing up "I'm going to go get changed can you get her dressed for the beach? I got her those water diapers" she said pointing to the changing table "And remember she needs a lot of sunscreen"

"Of course she does because she's going to be in a bikini" Punk mocked

"Get her ready" AJ smirked kissing his lips as she passed

* * *

Being at the beach was peaceful and Quinn loved the feel of the sand and giggled when they dipped her feet into the water. She was having a ball and so was Punk was enjoying lounging on the beach with Quinn while AJ took a dip. Punk attracted a lot of attention on the beach but not because he was CM Punk but because he was an attractive man with an adorable baby.

"Am I going to have to make you put on a shirt?" AJ asked as she approached him. He looked up and eyed her soaking form. "The ladies love you"

"Ladies always love me but Quinn is like the ultimate chick magnet" Punk admitted with a grin

"Cute" AJ remarked sitting on her towel

"Mommy is jealous" he said holding Quinn up

"Does he even mention mommy?" AJ asked her daughter

"The ring speaks for itself" Punk reminded her

"How come men don't approach me when I'm with Quinn?" AJ frowned

"Because most men avoid women with children" Punk smirked "I like how the tables have turned"

"Yea because women don't fall all over you constantly" AJ remarked sarcastically as Punk placed Quinn in her carrier "Chick Magnet was just a cute little name that had no meaning behind it"

"Jealous?" Punk asked arching an amused brow

"Maybe" She smirked

"Come here" he said waving her over with his finger. She crawled over to him and laid a hot kiss on her. "Better? Now everyone knows I'm not some single hot dad with a beautiful baby"

"You are a hot dad" AJ agreed

"And you're a MILF" Punk countered with a laugh

"Oh yea?" AJ teased. She was just feeling so happy and free finally it was nice they could just be out in public and joke around

"Yea I'd defiantly like to fuc-" he started but AJ placed her finger over his lips to stop him

"Our daughter is sitting right there" AJ reminded him

"She doesn't understand it" Punk reasoned "We need to make as much of this time while we can while she's still too young to understand that I want to jump you every five seconds" he said seriously

"Every five seconds?" AJ asked

"I've already visualized you naked about fourteen times since I called you a MILF" Punk said and she let out a small laugh

"If you play your cards right later maybe you'll get the real deal" AJ teased

"I won't let her nap so she'll sleep most of the night" Punk promised

"She's going to be wiped out from all the travel and being in the sun" AJ said to him

"I hope so" Punk said running his hand over her bare stomach and leaning down and kissing her

* * *

Cliff had decided to throw a small party while Punk and AJ were away. Though Cliff was the host Erica was really in full control of the party and made sure no one ventured upstairs and the party stayed contained in the downstairs.

"I thought it was only going to be a few people" Erica said to Cliff

"It's only like thirty people that is a few people" Cliff defended

"I can't believe Punk is letting you do this" Colt laughed joining the two with a beer in his hand

"He doesn't know" Cliff said to him

"You told me you told him" Erica said annoyed

"I asked AJ and she said ok. We all know AJ has the final word anyway" Cliff shrugged simply

"Have you guys heard from them?" Colt asked

"April texted me a picture of Quinn in her adorable beach gear" Erica beamed "She looked so cute!"

"I think they're just trying to forget everything for a while" Cliff said to them

"Good they deserve the break" Colt said to him

"How do they know that Christian hasn't snuck off to Hawaii though?" Erica asked them

"I'm handling that actually" Colt told them

"How?" Cliff asked

"I've swung by the hotel and house a few times this week and he's been around with his right handed soldier" Colt told them "Actually they've been at the house trying to fix everything. I doubt they even realize that Punk and AJ are out of town"

"Good" Cliff said to him

"They must realize that Punk was the one that trashed his house and I'm sure he knows we helped distract him I'm just wondering what he's going to do in return" Erica said to him

"It was almost a week ago" Cliff said to her

"He's just laying in wait" Erica said to him

"Please don't scare me this a really big house" Cliff said shuddering at the thought "Hey Colt you want to stay the night?"

"One more beer and I'll be forced to" Colt smirked "I won't be much help if someone comes in after you though"

"Great" Cliff said putting his beer down

"You can enjoy the party" Erica said to him

"No now you've scared me" Cliff said in a childish voice "Maybe having all these people wasn't such a great idea"

"That's what I'm saying" Erica said seriously "I'm going to go check upstairs and make sure none of your drunk friends are hanging out in Punk and April's room"

"Yea I'm going to start telling people to live" Cliff said

"Wait what just happened? The party is over?" Colt asked as the two walked off in separate directions

As Erica walked upstairs she saw the light on in Quinn's room and rolled her eyes.

"Hey the party is downstairs" Erica said entering the room but that's all she was able to say before a fist came flying at her face rendering her unconscious

* * *

Later that night in Hawaii Punk and AJ were wrong about Quinn wanting to go to sleep early. She was fussy and awake most of the night as a matter of fact. Punk was down in the kitchen cleaning Quinn's bottles when AJ stepped in yawning.

"She asleep?" Punk asked hopefully

"No but she's content for the moment" AJ said leaning against the door "I don't think she's ever going to sleep ever again"

"She'll sleep" Punk smirked

"She seems very awake and playing with Louie" AJ informed him "He keeps sticking his tail through the bars of her crib letting her pet him and he's loving it just as much as she is"

"Is she petting him or pulling on his tail?" Punk asked

"Pulling but you know Louie would let her cut off his tail and not even cry" AJ said to him

"I'll go check on her" Punk said to her "Sit have coffee or something"

"Ok" she said taking a seat at the counter and resting her head on the countertop in hope of sleeping for at least four minutes.

"Hey" Punk hissed walking over to her "She's sleeping"

"Are you teasing me?" AJ asked in a warning voice "Because if you are I will hurt you"

"She's fast asleep" Punk smirked "I had to pry her little hands off of Louie's tail but she's out cold"

"We can sleep?" She asked anxiously

"Yea we can sleep" Punk said slowly "Or we can do something else" he suggested

"I'm not stripping for you tonight so get that out of your head right now" AJ warned

"No we're saving that for a special night" Punk said to her helping her out of the stool. He pulled her against himself and kissed her lovingly and now she was fully awake. She felt his hands creep to her rear and latch on to one of his most favorite spots. It helped that she was only wearing one of his large t-shirts and a pair of underwear. "Still tired?" he asked pulling away

"No" She whispered reaching for his face and pulling him back down to meet her lips. He used his hands to pull down her panties and placed her on the counter "Here?" she asked catching her breath from the kiss

"Here" he confirmed pulling her back to him by the back of her neck for a bruising kiss. AJ used her hands to reach for his hardening member through his gym shorts. He began to thrust his hips slightly as he continued to kiss her "Are you ready?" he whispered into his ear as he reached under her shirt to feel how moist she was "You're ready" he grinned proudly and then removed her hand from and yanked down his shorts so they were bunched around his ankles. She felt him enter her quickly but didn't move at first so he could giver her body a chance to adjust to him.

"Oh!" she gasped out as Punk placed his hands on either side of her resting on the edges of the countertop. He began to move in and out of her quickly. "Faster" she requested as she placed her hands on the countertop as well and began to push into him.

"Better?" he asked moving faster trying to look her in the eye but her eyes were shut tight as she enjoyed the pleasure she was receiving. He stopped moving abruptly causing her eyes to shoot open.

"Why did you stop?" she rasped out

"I want to look at you" he smiled and leaned in and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as their tongues began their ancient old dance of dominance. He felt her begin to move against him and he almost completely pulled out of her before entering her almost roughly again and she thought she was going to collapse against the counter as she arched into him again. Her cries were loud, louder then usual as he continued to move in and out of her. He knew not only was she going to wake the baby and Louie but she was also probably going to wake the neighbors but it would be worth it. He moved faster and harder and she let out a loud cry as she climaxed around him. Punk let go a few seconds later and wasn't sure he'd be able to even move at the moment but the sound of Louie barking and chasing him away from AJ was a quick way to get him moving.

"Oh god" AJ muttered still trying to catch her breath

"AJ let Louie see you're ok" Punk said to her as Louie barked as he tried to take a step. AJ just smiled as she hopped off the counter.

"Come here Louie" AJ said slapping her knee and Louie came rushing towards her. That's when they realized Quinn was also crying. "Could you get her? I need to shower" she asked Punk

"Yea I'll take care of it" Punk said as he pulled up his shorts "Go to bed afterwards"

"No I feel like I woke her up so I should be the one to sit up with her" AJ insisted "I really just have to shower quickly"

"Shower then bed" Punk ordered "Don't worry about Quinn I've got her"

"Thank you" she said with a sweet smile giving him a kiss on the lips

"You are the enemy" Punk said to Louie who just ignored him and followed AJ up the steps

* * *

After her shower AJ snuck into Quinn's room and saw Punk was asleep in the chair with Quinn sleeping on his chest His arm was protectively holding her and she couldn't help but reach for her phone and snap a picture without disturbing them. She turned off the light and headed into her room when she went to check the picture she took she saw she had a missed call from Cliff and Colt and a few messages. She called Cliff back as soon as she noticed.

"Hello?" Cliff asked

"Hey what's going on?" AJ asked him

"Don't freak out" Cliff started

"I already am" AJ said sensing the strain in his voice "What happened?"

"I threw a party earlier and there wasn't a lot of people I don't even know how they snuck in-" Cliff started

"-wait who snuck in?" AJ demanded "Are you ok? Is Erica?"

"I'm fine and Erica is ok now" Cliff told her

"Now? What happened?" AJ asked him

"Erica went upstairs to make sure no one snuck up there and saw the light on in Quinn's room and went inside and the next thing she knew she was knocked out" Cliff told her

"Is she ok?" AJ asked nervously

"She's fine she has a black eye but that's it" Cliff told her "They completely trashed Quinn's room. They were headed into your room but Colt scared them off"

"I guess that was payback" AJ said to him "Are you sure Erica is ok? Can I talk to her?"

"Ape?" Erica asked into the phone

"Hey are you sure you're ok?" AJ asked her sister

"Yes I've been hit before" Erica laughed "But they messed up Quinn's room real bad but I promise we'll have it fixed before you guys get back"

"No and you guys shouldn't even be there it's not safe" AJ said to her

"It is safe but we weren't really paying attention to who we let through the gate that's all" Erica told her

"Did they catch the guy or guys?" AJ asked her

"No it was only two and they were fast and Colt was too drunk to keep up" Erica said and AJ could hear Colt yelling in the background

"Did you call the police?" AJ asked her

"Yes and they just left. Everything is fine and we don't want you to worry" Erica told her

"I am worried" AJ said to her seriously

"Don't be the house has and property has been searched from top to bottom" Erica said to her

"We should just come home" AJ said to her

"No way!" Erica yelled "You're staying there it's a lot safer for you guys to be there than here"

"Well you guys should come down here" AJ reasoned

"We are just not for another week or so" Erica told her "We want to clean up Quinn's room first"

"Don't worry about the room just worry about staying safe" AJ said to her

"It was strictly payback" Erica told her "Colt said they did everything Punk did in Christian's house"

"Please be careful" AJ pleaded

"We'll be fine and we weren't even going to tell you but Cliff has a big mouth" Erica said to her

"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked Erica again and heard her laugh

"Yes! Now go back to your vacation and stop worrying" Erica said to her

"I love you- all of you so please be safe" AJ said seriously

"We love you too bye" Erica said then hung up.

AJ wanted to wake Punk up and tell him what happened but right now not only was he asleep but more importantly their fussy daughter was fast asleep. She knew Christian was far away in Chicago and Quinn was safe in Punk's arms. She pulled the covers down and crawled into bed alone but she knew she wouldn't fall asleep tonight. She was now not only worried about their safety here but she was scared to death for her sister and Colt and Cliff. She felt herself begin to cry but simply rolled over and held onto her pillow.


	75. Sneaking Away

**A/N: So this chapter makes this story my longest story so thank you to the people who continue to read and reaveiw! I hope people are still enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writting it :)**

* * *

**Chapter 75: Sneaking Away**

* * *

Punk woke up at around three in the morning and realized he had fallen asleep with Quinn in his arms. He carefully stood up with her and placed her into her crib and thankfully it didn't bother and she stayed sleeping. Punk noticed Louie wasn't in here and wasn't too surprised to see him with AJ. If Punk wasn't with Quinn he was with AJ and when he was with AJ Louie would be in Quinn's room. He really did luck out with such a good dog. Punk quietly stepped into the room and Louie's head shot up and once he saw Punk he jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. He wasn't sure if Louie secretly hated him.

"Phil?" AJ asked turning her head

"Yea why are you still up?" Punk asked getting into the bed and she rolled over to face him and he saw her eyes were swollen and her cheeks were stained with tears. "Why are you crying?"

"Christian had someone break into our house" AJ told him "He trashed Quinn's room and hit my sister"

"Is she ok?" Punk asked alarmed

"Yea" She nodded

"I figured there would be some sort of payback I'm sorry that happened" Punk said to her "I'll call them"

"No they're probably sleeping" AJ said to him

"Where was Cliff?" Punk asked

"I don't know but Colt was there and tried to get the guys but they were too fast" AJ said to him "I don't want our family hurt anymore" Punk didn't know how to respond he just wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him and kissed her head. "I have to end this"

"There's nothing you can do" Punk said to her

"He wants me" AJ reminded him and she felt Punk pull away

"I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking" Punk said in a low and warning voice

"I just want you all safe" AJ said through tears

"So you think you're going to just offer yourself up to him?" Punk asked her

"What other options do we have?" AJ asked him "I'm the one that bought him into your life and Cliff's and Colt's and I even bought him back into Erica's when she thought she was rid of him. I don't want Quinn to have to ever deal with him"

"You're not going near him" Punk said fully letting her go and sitting up "Don't ever bring this up again" he warned

"Everyone will be at peace" AJ cried

"I won't" Punk argued "Quinn won't and neither would Erica or Cliff. Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm sure he'll let me see Quinn-" AJ started and Punk let out a laugh

"I'll chalk this insanity up to sleep deprivation" he said unable to contain his laughter "What about me AJ? You think he'll let you spend some time with your husband?"

"I mean I'd have to ask-" AJ started and let out a loud laugh again

"You've really lost it" Punk said still laughing "Do you hear yourself right now?"

"I have an obligation to protect my family" AJ reminded him

"You have an obligation to me" Punk said to her as he laughter died down "I am your husband. You also have an obligation to our daughter you're not going anywhere"

"But if it makes the madness stop I should do whatever I can do" AJ argued back

"He'll kill you" Punk said to her "Who does that help?"

"He won't kill me if I agree to live in his crazy house" AJ said to him as Punk fully got out of the bed now

"Ok then what happens when I knock on the front door to your crazy house and kill Christian with my bare hands? I go to jail and then Quinn has nobody" Punk informed her

"That's crazy Phil" AJ said to him quietly and his eyes widened

"You're crazy" Punk said pointing at her

"How else can we make it stop?" AJ asked him "Come up with one other option and I'll never mention it again"

"You're never mentioning it ever again anyway" Punk said to her "I don't like this crazy talk AJ you're starting to make nervous. I don't want to have to stay up and make sure you don't sneak away"

"Obviously I can't go right now-" AJ started

"You're not going ever" Punk shot at her "Get some sleep please because you've been up for I think over forty-eight hours and you're just talking nonsense now"

"I love you and just want you safe" AJ said to him

"Your reasoning is very noble" Punk said to her softly "Doesn't change the fact that you're talking crazy. If you leave me for anyone else my life is over but if you were to leave me for Christian I would truly go mad."

"You'd have help with Quinn" AJ said to him

"Help with Quinn? It's not about me needing help I need you" Punk said seriously "I'd be wondering what you were doing or what he was doing to you, I honestly don't think I'd survive it. Your little heroic gesture would be in vain"

"So what do we do? Live out here forever?" AJ asked him

"If we have to" Punk shrugged "Hell I'll move Cliff and Erica out here too"

"We have to work eventually Phil" AJ said to him

"We have plenty trust me" Punk said to her

"I can't live in fear anymore" AJ said to him "It's been two years"

"We'll figure something out" Punk said to her "I'll figure something out but you need to promise me you'll get this crazy idea out of your head"

"I can't" AJ said to him "I can't live with this guilt anymore. My sister was assaulted in our home Phil, you've been hospitalized- what's next? Our daughter? I can't Phil I can't just sit back and let everyone else take the hits for me"

"No one is taking the hits for you" Punk said to her "We've all pissed of Christian in our own ways. And believe me you've taken plenty hits. Beatings, stabbings, multiple attempted rape" he reminded her

"How could you even stand me?" AJ asked him "I've ruined your life"

"You gave me life" Punk corrected "You gave me a reason to wake up, you showed me that there was more to like than wrestling and you've given me the best gift of all- my daughter. Was it always easy? No. But everything that has happened has lead us to this point and I'm pretty damn happy"

"I'm sorry" She sniffled "I don't even know what I'm saying right now"

"Don't apologize just promise me you'll never mention this again" Punk said getting back in the bed

"I promise" She said to him and moved to rest her head against his chest as he lay down with her in his arms.

"Just thinking about you leaving me absolutely makes me sick to my stomach" Punk admitted "I really wouldn't survive it"

"We need to end this" AJ said to him

"We will" Punk said to her as he ran his hands through her long hair "Now go to sleep and maybe when you wake up you'll think of something logical"

"Hey it seemed pretty logical a few hours ago when I thought it up" AJ defended lightly

* * *

The next morning Punk was up way before AJ and Quinn even. He headed down the steps and let Louie out to run around and grabbed his phone to call Cliff.

"I'm sorry" was the first thing he heard from Cliff "So, so sorry"

"What happened?" Punk asked annoyed. Cliff ran through the story in great detail for him and Punk was even more annoyed. "This is why I told AJ the party was a bad idea"

"I know" Cliff said mentally kicking himself

"How's Erica?" Punk asked

"She's fine man" Cliff chuckled "She's been fixing up Quinn's room all night"

"AJ was really upset" Punk told him "She told me she was going to hand herself over to Christian"

"What?" Cliff asked alarmed "I hope you talked her out of it"

"Of course I did" Punk said annoyed that Cliff even felt the need to ask him that "Even if she was still dead set on doing it I would never let that happen but she's starting to go crazy. You should have heard how sure she was about this plan and how it seemed like a normal option""

"I don't blame her" Cliff said to him "I mean we've been dealing with this for over a year and I feel like ripping my hair out of my head but this has been her life for years"

"I need to figure something out" Punk said to him seriously "I can't bring her back to Chicago and have her living in fear anymore or I seriously think she's going to do something reckless"

"What can you do?" Cliff asked

"I need to get in touch with Claudette" Punk said to him "And just tell her everything"

"If you tell her about Christian's crazy house she'll have to arrest you for breaking in" Cliff reminded him

"I thought about that actually and I didn't break in I was invited in" Punk pointed out "Both Colt and I had the doors opened for us"

"I guess that's true but you did trash his place" Cliff reminded him

"He didn't press charges or even alert the authorities they have no idea who could have done that" Punk said to him

"So what are you going to do?" Cliff asked him

"I don't know I need to talk to her and hope that she's on our side here and helps with something" Punk said to him

"I'll talk to her" Cliff offered "You're away and AJ shouldn't have to deal with this. I'm in Chicago I'll handle it"

"Are you sure?" Punk asked him

"Yea the police wanted Erica to head do to the station to go over her statement anyway" Cliff said to him "What's the Detective's name again?"

"Claudette Williams" Punk told him

"Got it. Just try to take AJ's mind off of all of this and we'll do everything we can on our end" Cliff said to him

"I really appreciate it" Punk said to him

"Appreciate it enough to not be pissed I through a party in your house?" Cliff asked

"Depends on if you get me some answers" Punk said then hung up

Punk headed back inside and up the stairs and found AJ was already up and changing Quinn.

"I'm surprised she slept for as long as she did" Punk said stepping inside the nursery

"She was sleepy" AJ said smiling at her daughter then looked towards Punk "I'm so sorry about last night. I was so tired and I didn't realize what I was saying"

"It's fine" Punk assured her "I just don't like the fact that you even considered it, sleep deprived or not"

"I just thought it would work" AJ said to him "But there's other options"

"Like what?" Punk asked her

"Nothing in particular" she said quickly picking up Quinn "Just I'm sure there's other options"

"What's on your mind?" Punk asked standing in her way so she couldn't get past him

"Nothing really" She said with a nervous laugh

"You're lying to me" Punk said to her with a grin "I know you inside and out and I know when you're holding back"

"It's nothing" she laughed again "Now I have to feed Quinn" she said and he slowly moved so she could get by

"What is she up to?" Punk asked Louie then followed AJ down the stairs

"Did you get any sleep?" AJ asked him

"Yea I mean I got a few good hours in when I fell asleep with Quinn and once I was sure you weren't going to climb out the window and jump on a plane back to Chicago I slept some more" Punk said to her as he watched her heat up Quinn's bottle

"I could never leave her" AJ said looking down at Quinn "Or you. I'm not going to offer myself up to him"

"Good" Punk said to her "I spoke to Cliff and everything is ok now"

"I hope so" AJ said to him "I feel bad we're here in paradise and they're in dreary Chicago"

"Hey don't bad mouth Chicago" Punk warned teasingly "That's our home"

"Yea, yea but you have to admit Hawaii is awesome" AJ smirked

"Speaking of what's on the agenda for today?" Punk asked her

"Your usually the one who has everything planned out" AJ said to him

"I'm giving you full power today" Punk smiled "Anything my girls want today they get"

"You hear that Queen?" AJ asked using her daughter's nickname and cooing at her with a smile "Daddy is going to spoil us today"

"Don't I do that everyday?" Punk asked seriously

"Yes but today we want to go shopping" AJ said to him

"Shopping" Punk said slowly. Something he hated more than drinking and drugs

"That's right" AJ said happily "We want to hit all the local shops"

"She's a little young to shop" Punk pointed out

"No she's not" AJ smirked "She needs some new clothes"

"She has plenty" Punk argued with a laugh

"I also need some things" AJ said to him

"What could you possibly need?" Punk questioned

"I need some new shoes actually, another bathing suit and I wanted to pick some things up from the lingerie store" she informed him

"I already told you I don't like you wearing underwear it only slows me down" Punk said seriously folding his arms and she laughed, the laugh he loved so much

"I was thinking something a little sexier than regular underwear" AJ said suggestively to him "I did promise you a night you'd never forget"

"So we're stopping by the electronic store too? So I can pick up a video camera?" Punk asked hopefully

"We should probably do that anyway because I want to get some good footage of Quinn's first vacation" AJ said to him

* * *

Punk and AJ had been shopping for two hours and he was seriously starting to go crazy. The only two stores he enjoyed were the comic book store and the lingerie store but now he was over this whole day.

"I think Quinn is getting fussy" Punk said to her as he pushed her stroller

"Really? I think she's sleeping" AJ said peaking over to see Quinn was fast asleep in the stroller

"Ok I'm getting fussy" Punk admitted

"Alright, alright" AJ laughed "Go put her in the car and bring it around I have to run into one more place"

"I've made it this far I can run into another store with you" Punk offered

"Take her to the car I'll be ten minutes" AJ said to him but he wasn't budging "I'm not going to sneak off" she said to him knowing that's what he was thinking

"Ok" Punk said to her "Why can't I just come with you?"

"Because I have to buy some feminine products and I'm sure you don't want to stand there and watch me pick out tampons" AJ smirked

"Enough said" Punk said uncomfortably then walked away with Quinn and the load of shopping of bags.

AJ stepped into the small store but it wasn't the drug store she had told Punk she was going into, it was a different store one she remembered seeing the last time she was in Hawaii.

"Can I help you?" the old man behind the counter asked her

"Yes" AJ said with a smile "I need to buy a gun" she said to him

"Have you ever owned a gun before?" the man asked

"No" she admitted

"Have you ever used one before?" he asked and she shook her head no "Why does a pretty thing like you need a gun than? You don't strike me as huntress"

"It's for protection" AJ told him softly

"Bad relationship?" The man asked her and she nodded

"Something like that" she said softly

"You're going to need a permit" He told her "Then you're going to have to get it registered but I suggest you learn how to use one before you shoot one"

"How long does the permit take?" AJ asked him

"A couple of days then you have to go down to county and get the permit" he told her. There would be no way that AJ would be able to do all of this without Punk catching on.

"Isn't there any easier way?" AJ asked quietly

"I'm sorry miss but gun laws get stricter each year" the man told her "If you have a reason to be afraid for you life I suggest you contact the police"

"They haven't been too helpful" AJ admitted

"Go home and sleep on it" The man suggested "If you feel the same way tomorrow I'll help you with everything"

"Ok" AJ said to him politely then walked out the door. She was waiting for Punk to pull up when she felt someone tap her shoulder. "Can I help you?" she asked the stranger. He was around Punk's age but was very messy looking. AJ could tell just by looking at the questionable male that he didn't look for Christian- he would never hire someone like him.

"I heard you in there" the man said nodding towards the gun shop "I can help you"

"I don't know what you think you heard but I don't need help" AJ said nervously

"I can get you a gun off the books" the man whispered

"You can?" she asked hopefully

"Yea" he nodded

"I can't really talk about this right now" AJ said knowing Punk would be pulling up any second.

"Here" He said passing her a business card "Call me at around eight thirty and I can get you what you need but I'm not cheap. My handguns go for around 1500"

"I can afford it" AJ assured him

"You're not a cop right?" the man asked her

"No" she said quickly

"Call me at that number" the man said again

"What's your name?" AJ asked him before he walked away

"You can call me Dex" the man said to her then walked off as Punk pulled up.

"Who was that?" Punk asked eyeing the man who he spotted talking to his wife

"Oh just a fan" she said simply

"What happened? You didn't get anything?" he asked noticing she didn't have a bag in her hands

"No they didn't have what I needed" she said to him simply

"You need me to stop somewhere else?" Punk offered

"Nope" she said happily "I'm good"

"Alright" Punk said pulling away and driving off. AJ carefully tucked the card she had been given into her purse and hoped Punk wouldn't catch on.

* * *

Later that night AJ and Quinn were playing with her toys on the floor while Punk took Louie out for a walk on the quiet dark beach. He heard his phone going off and saw it was Cliff finally.

"Took you long enough" Punk said annoyed "I've been trying to reach you all day. Did you talk to the police?"

"Yea I spoke to that Detective and she had an idea" Cliff told him

"Great" Punk said to him

"You're not going to like it" Cliff said to him seriously


	76. Losing It

**Chapter 76: Losing It**

* * *

While Punk was out with Louie and she was back at the resort with Quinn AJ reached into her purse and pulled out the card that was handed to her earlier. She knew better but right now this was going to be her only option. She called the number and spoke to man who called himself 'Dex'. They were going to meet tomorrow night right outside the grounds of the resort on the beach. She just had to figure out a way to escape Punk for about half an hour. Punk arrived back a few minutes later with Louie.

"How was the walk?" AJ asked as she sat on the floor and watched Quinn try to roll over

"Good the beach is amazing this late" Punk said as Louie ran over to his water dish "How's she doing?" he smirked watching their daughter "I didn't miss anything right?"

"No she hasn't rolled over yet but she's getting close" AJ said to him "It's still really early though. The books say anywhere between three and seven months"

"Well she's over three months" Punk said to her

"I tried to get the video camera working but I'm clueless with it" AJ said pointing to the only item Punk purchased earlier in the day

"I'll get it working" Punk said picking up the item "I need to get it working before our big night"

"Don't put so much pressure on me" AJ warned

"I just didn't really get a chance to enjoy the last dance since you had me handcuffed" Punk defended playing around with the camera

"What makes you think you wont be again?" AJ teased

"Don't do that" Punk warned with a groan

"Have you heard from Cliff?" AJ asked him "Didn't you say he was going to speak to Claudette today?"

"Yea I heard from him but she couldn't help much" Punk shrugged "She'll think of something soon I'm sure" now AJ knew the gun was her only option.

"Yea in the meantime let's not think about any of that stuff" Punk said to her

"Well I think she needs a bath and bed" AJ said picking up Quinn

"You want me to do it?" Punk offered. He was so good that way.

"Nope this is going to be mommy and daughter time" AJ said kissing his lips as she passed him

"Daddy and Mommy time after?" Punk asked hopefully

"Sure" she grinned

* * *

The next morning AJ was up early again. She was starting to get anxious about her big purchase and was even having second thoughts. It caused her to toss and turn all night and she knew Punk could sense something was off so she worked on distracting him the best way she knew how- sex. That's probably he was still in a dead sleep at this time. He was always the first one up but for a change AJ was up before him and Quinn. She decided to take Louie on his morning walk and enjoyed the grounds of the resort at this early time- no one was around it was just so peaceful.

"You really love it here don't you?" AJ asked the dog as they reached the home they were renting "Yea I miss home too but don't worry we'll be back soon" she said to the dog petting his head

"Soon huh?" the voice asked causing her to jump

"Jesus" AJ gasped holding her hand over her beating heart "You scared me!" she scolded her husband who she hadn't realized was outside on the deck with Quinn

"Sorry" he smirked "I thought you were having fun here"

"I am" AJ said quickly "But we can't be here forever we agreed on that too"

"What's going on with you?" Punk asked her

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently

"I mean you're up to something" Punk said to her "You've been acting weird since yesterday and I'd really like to know what's got your mind running a mile a minute. You didn't really sleep last night you were up early and out with Louie, what's going on?"

"Obviously I'm thinking of Christian" she admitted to him "I'm just trying to come up with ideas on how to be rid of him for good that's all"

"That's up to the police" Punk reminded her "You can't drive yourself crazy like this"

"I know you're right" she said smiling "I just can't help it you know?"

"Uh-huh" Punk said slowly still not buying a word she was saying

"What?" she laughed "I'm telling you the truth"

"You're not planning on leaving again are you?" Punk asked her seriously

"I told you a thousand times no" she sighed "As much as you wouldn't be able to survive being away from me I know I wouldn't survive being away from you and Quinn" she told him honestly "I can't live in a world where I'm not with you two"

"Ok" Punk said to her nodding "I'm on to you though I just want you to know that"

"On to what?" she asked almost nervously

"I don't know but I will find out and I'm sure I won't be happy" Punk said to her simply "So save us the argument and fighting and just stop whatever it is you're thinking because obviously it's something I won't approve of since you refuse to tell me"

"You're so paranoid" AJ informed him then walked into the house

"What is mommy up to?" Punk asked his daughter "I hope you don't drive daddy crazy like this when you're older because I don't think I can handle two of you"

Later that day AJ was getting Quinn ready for another day at the beach but a knock at the door stopped her in her tracks. She actually felt her heart begin race out of fear Christian could possibly be on the other side of the door. She picked up Quinn and clutched her to chest and backed away from the door.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked coming down the steps

"Someone's at the door" AJ said to him and he walked over and opened it

"It's about time it's hot as hell out there!" Cliff said stepping inside and AJ was immediately put at ease

"Stop complaining it's beautiful" Erica scolded "Now where is my niece? I've missed her?" she asked looking around and saw AJ holding Quinn "Hey Ape, you ok?"

"Yea" she said putting a smile and passing Quinn over to her aunt

"Hi Queen" Erica smiled

"I didn't know you two were coming" AJ said to them

"Obviously" Erica scoffed "You look like you were about to jump out of your skin. Punk got us tickets last night. Thought you could use the company"

"Hey AJ" Cliff smiled pulling her into a hug

"Hi" she said softly pulling away

"You two look nice and refreshed" Cliff noted "I mean Pun and Quinn- you AJ look like hell"

"Nice" Punk remarked

"I just didn't get much sleep last night" AJ admitted

"Well we'll take Quinn to the beach since that's obviously where you were headed" Erica said to her

"No you guys just got in" AJ said quickly

"And we want to hit the beach" Erica said not taking 'no' for an answer "You go upstairs and sleep because you look like a zombie"

"Let me just finish getting her ready for you" AJ said taking Quinn into her arms and walking upstairs

"You're right she is a little off" Erica said to Punk

"She's up to something and I need you to figure it out" Punk said to her

"You want me to betray my sisters confidence?" Erica asked

"I want you to help me help your sister" Punk said to her "I need you to make sure she knows leaving here and running to Christian is the wrong thing to do"

"Ok" Erica said to him "But she might not open to me"

"She needs to talk to someone" Punk said to her "She wants to- it's on the tip of her tongue"

"Well let her sleep for a little first" Erica said to him "She might be more clear minded after a few hours"

"So we're really going to the beach?" Cliff asked hopefully

"Yea you big kid we're going to the beach" Erica said to him

"I need to get a surf board-" Cliff started

"We're taking Quinn to the beach and she can't surf" Erica informed him and he frowned

"But I can surf" Cliff reasoned

"You're going to leave your girlfriend alone on the beach?" Punk asked him seriously

"But-" Cliff started but knew he wasn't going to win "No fine I'll play in the sand with Quinn"

"Good boy" Erica cooed patting his head

* * *

Amazingly AJ slept most of the day. She knew Quinn was in good hands with Punk, Erica and Cliff and only woke up when she heard her phone buzzing. She couldn't believe it was already almost eight thirty and saw the message. _Five minutes_

"Crap" AJ said quickly jumping out of the bed. She ran and through on a pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt. As she was ready to race out the door she realized she needed the cash. She had planned on getting it when she was at the beach and away from Punk but obviously that wasn't going to happen now she didn't have the time. She knew Punk always traveled with cash and had a lot of it hidden away and he told her where he put it but she didn't really pay attention at the time. She never really used cash and she never had to, Punk usually paid for everything all of the time especially when they were away on vacation. "Think, think…" she said to herself then it hit her. He mentioned Quinn's room and went inside to look around. She started pulling out her drawers and tossing clothes behind her as she looked. She then went into the closet and saw a shoebox at the top and pulled it down and thankfully the cash was in there. "Yes" she hissed happily as she counted out exactly how much she needed and put it in her pocket.

"What are you doing?" Erica asked looking around the room

"I was looking for my necklace" AJ said to her "It fell off in here earlier. I woke up and realized it was gone"

"I see you found it" Erica said gesturing to the locket around AJ's neck.

"Yep" she said standing up "I'll clean this up you can go"

"What the hell are you up to?" Erica demanded folding her arms and closing the door so they had privacy

"I don't have time for this right now Erica" AJ said to her

"Why?" Erica asked her

"Because I have something I have to do" AJ said to her quickly "Now just go back downstairs and watch Quinn"

"Ok I'll also get Punk and tell him how you're planning on leaving to go back to Chicago" Erica threatened

"That's not what I'm doing!" AJ yelled

"It sure as hell looks that way!" Erica yelled back "You took cash from that box I saw you and then you blatantly lied right to my face so you better tell me what the hell is going on or I will go tell Punk!"

"I'm meeting someone" AJ said in a low voice

"Who?" Erica asked

"A guy" AJ said to her and Erica's eyes widened

"You're meeting another man?" Erica whispered stunned "I don't believe for one second you'd ever cheat on Punk"

"I'm not cheating and I never would" AJ defended harshly.

"Why are you meeting another guy?" Erica asked

"You can't tell Phil" AJ warned

"Depends on what it is. But you have to tell me regardless" Erica said to her

"Erica I mean it" AJ said to her

"Fine what is the big secret?" Erica asked

"I'm buying a gun" AJ informed her

"What are you going to do with a gun?" Erica demanded "You don't even know how to use one!"

"Keep your voice down" AJ warned "And I'm going to protect my family"

"You think you're going to kill Christian?" Erica asked piecing it all together "You won't even get a gun on a plane" she laughed "This is a terrible idea"

"I'm going to lure him here once I have everything planned out" AJ told her

"Do you think this is a movie?" Erica questioned "You're not Jennifer Lopez! You can't just kill a man and expect to get away with it"

"It will be self defense" AJ told her "I know how I'm going to do it I've been thinking about it for days"

"This is what you call thinking?" Erica mocked "You're insane! And where are you getting this gun?"

"I couldn't get the gun from the shop because there was too much paperwork" AJ told her "But this man followed me out and offered to get me one"

"So you're going to sneak off at night and meet with some strange criminal to buy a gun?" Erica asked and couldn't believe AJ really thought this was a good idea. "I'm telling Punk-"

"No!" AJ said grabbing her arm before she could leave the room "You can't tell him you told me you wouldn't"

"I said it depended and this is just crazy Ape!" Erica said trying to reason with her "I know you're scared I'm scared too but you can't just kill a man"

"He's not a man" AJ said firmly shaking her head "He's a monster and he's going to punish my daughter and husband for my sins"

"You don't have any sins!" Erica argued "You're going to go to jail!"

"I know what I'm doing just stay out of my way" AJ said to her

"No I'm not letting you do this" Erica said grabbing her arm now

"Let go of my arm or I'll break yours" AJ threatened "I'll do anything I have to in order to keep my family safe maybe if you had one of your own you'd understand" Erica was hurt by the comment no doubt but she shook it off

"Fine" Erica said letting go of her arm "Go off to your shady gun deal like some common criminal, bring a gun into the home you share with your little girl and lie to your husband. I may not have a family but you won't either if you actually go through with this"

"We'll see about that" AJ said reaching for the door and walking out.

* * *

AJ spotted the man she met yesterday at the far end of the beach and he looked nervous he also wasn't alone. AJ was nervous but she pushed her fears out of her mind knowing that no man could be worse than Christian Scott.

"You're late" Dax said to her

"Sorry I got tied up" AJ said to him "Do you have the gun?" Dax nodded to the man next to him and flashed her the small revolver

"Bullets are in the bag" Dax told her

"It's three thousand" the man said to her

"You told me 1500" AJ said looking at Dax "That's all I bought"

"Just give it to her for 1500" Dax said to the guy

"She has the cash look where she's staying" the man said to him seriously "That necklace around her neck is probably over 5gs!" AJ quickly placed her hand over the locket

"I only bought 1500 because that's what we agreed on" AJ argued

"Things change" The man said to her

"Give us a minute" Dax said to AJ as he turned his back and spoke to the man

"I need this gun" AJ said while they spoke causing them to stop "I have a daughter and she's in danger"

"A rich thing like you can't afford a bodyguard?" the crueler man mocked

"All the bodyguards in the world can't help me or her" she told him honestly "Please I need this"

"Come on" Dax said to the guy "I told you she's alright. She's not a cop and she needs the help that's why we started this wasn't it?"

"Fine" the man said bitterly "Have you used a gun before?" he asked her

"No" AJ admitted "I can figure it out"

"It's not a remote controller lady" the man said to her "If you don't use this right you might end up hurting that little girl your so desperate to save"

"I won't let that happen" AJ assured him

"It's a revolver to there's no shell casings" the man said pulling the revolver out and putting the bullets in. "You pull the hammer back and aim" he said showing her then lowering the gun

"Got it" AJ said to him

"You have the money right?" The man asked

"Right" AJ said reaching into her pocket and pulling out the money and double counting it that's when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist

"What are you doing?" Punk demanded

"Hey!" The man yelled pulling out a gun and pointing it directly at Punk

"Don't!" AJ said quickly but Punk pulled her behind him

"She's not buying anything" Punk informed them calmly

"Is this the guy you're running from?" Dax asked now pointing his own gun

"We'll take him out right now for double the price" the man said to her keeping his eyes locked on Punk's

"No!" AJ said to them "This is my husband"

"You don't have to be afraid Miss" Dax said to her

"No this is a misunderstanding" AJ pleaded "He's my husband! He's not hurting me!"

"Get out of here" Punk told them "We'll forget you and you forget us, sound like a deal?"

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Dax asked her as he lowered his gun

"Yes" AJ said to him

"You have our card if you change your mind" the man said lowering his gun now

"Thank you" AJ said to them. Once the men were gone and Punk saw them get into their car parked right by the beach he turned to face AJ

"What the fuck where you thinking?" Punk seethed. She had never seen him so angry at her before "What were you thinking!" he screamed grabbing her arms and shaking her slightly

"Why did you stop that!" AJ yelled back surprising him "Now I have to do this all over again! Why can't you just mind your own business!" Punk let go of her and eyed her with concern now

"AJ" he said softly "What is wrong with you?"

"You!" AJ yelled "You just ruined that sale! Now they'll never sell to me!"

"You're not buying a gun" Punk said to her

"I am" AJ said to him "I need to protect my family! I need to do the right thing!"

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Punk yelled back

"No I'm going to get killed if I don't protect myself!" AJ shouted

"Do you really have that little trust in me that you felt that need to sneak around and buy a gun? A fucking gun AJ! You were going to bring one into our home with our daughter!" Punk yelled

"It's not about you!" AJ screamed "I'm sick of hiding behind you! I want to defend myself! I want to protect you for a change and Quinn!"

"With a gun?" Punk questioned "You don't even know how to use one!"

"I'd learn" AJ countered "You've ruined everything!"

"Ruined what?" Punk asked "Did you think you were going to get a gun on airplane?"

"I was going to contact Christian and have him come here" AJ said to him

"Did you?" Punk asked alarmed "Did you contact him?" AJ didn't answer but he grabbed her face roughly and forced her to look at him "Damn it AJ I don't have time for this! Tell me! Does he know that we're here!"

"No!" AJ said jerking away from his rough grasp "I wanted to have the gun first"

"No guns AJ" Punk said to her "We're not gun people and we don't kill people"

"You almost killed Dan" AJ reminded him "You had the gun in your hand and you were going to pull the trigger!"

"And you were the reason I didn't!" Punk shot back "You talked me down and you were right"

"Dan was never the enemy" AJ said told him "Christian is, always has been. Tell me if Christian walked up to you right here and now on this empty beach with no witnesses you wouldn't kill him with your bare hands?"

"That would never happen" Punk said avoiding the answer

"Tell me!" AJ yelled "Tell me you haven't thought about it, fantasized- dreamed even! You know this is our only way out! There are no other options!"

"There are better ways" Punk said to her

"No there aren't" She said shaking her head "I can't believe Erica ratted me"

"She's worried about you so am I" Punk said to her "You trashed Quinn's room looking to steal money"

"Steal money? I was trying to buy our family some insurance!" AJ said to him as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the cash "Here take it!" She yelled throwing it at his face but he just let it fall and blow around the beach

"It's not about the money" Punk said to her

"You're right it's about my family and how I have to protect them" AJ said to him "And you screwed it up for me"

"Shady gun deals on a secluded beach is your way to protect us?" Punk mocked

"Don't you dare make fun of me" AJ hissed "I am hanging on by a thread here and I did the only thing I thought I could do"

"You're right" Punk said surprising her "You are barely hanging on and maybe it's my fault that I haven't how much you've been unraveling I thought it was enough for me to just be there but I can see now that I'm not enough"

"What are you saying?" AJ asked

"I need to get you some help" Punk told her bluntly "You're cracking and I won't stand by and watch you do it. You're going to hurt yourself"

"You think I'm going to hurt myself?" AJ asked him "You know what that's an even better idea!" She screamed "Why kill Christian and risk jail and a lifetime away from you when I can just finish what he started" she began to kick off her shoes

"What the hell are you talking about?" Punk asked "What are you doing?" he asked her

"I'll just kill myself" she said and now he was afraid. She wasn't losing it she _already _lost it. "He'll leave you and Quinn alone and you won't have to worry so much about keeping me safe anymore because I'll already be gone. You'll move on I'm sure pretty quickly maybe Eve will move in and take my spot in our bed I'm sure you wouldn't complain" she then turned and headed towards the water

"AJ stop this!" Punk yelled chasing after her but she ran quicker. She hit the water but felt Punk wrap his arms around her waist and pull her from going any further

"Let go of me!" She screamed thrashing around his arms "I can't live like this!"

"Stop fighting me!" Punk yelled as she kicked and screamed as if he was kidnapping her. He hoped no one heard her.

"Get off of me!" AJ yelled biting down his arm hard causing him to drop her and she hit the sand. She began to crawl back towards the water but Punk grabbed onto her ankle dragging her back, he hated being so rough with her but he wasn't going to let her drown herself. "Let me go!" She yelled trying to kick him but he got down on his knees and tugged her wrists towards him so they were eye-level

"Stop this!" Punk demanded and his voice actually scared her and that's when she started to cry

"Let me go" she said in a defeated voice as she cried "Please just let me go" she was no sobbing and Punk just pulled her against his chest as he sat on the dark beach with her in his arms

"I can't" he said wrapping his arms around her part to comfort her but mostly so she wouldn't take off on him "I'll never let you go"

* * *

**A/N: Well almost two years (and 76 chapters) later AJ has finally cracked! How reckless will she get?**


	77. How To Fix You

**Chapter 77: How To Fix You**

* * *

Punk carried AJ back to their place after she had finally calmed down. He held for close to an hour on the beach until she grew tired of crying and fighting him. But he wasn't going to let her go and risk her running towards the water thankfully she didn't fight him. He wasn't sure if she came to her sense or she was too mentally exhausted to even move.

Once he reached the house he could feel she was covered in sand and she was still wet from when she hit the water. As soon as he stepped inside Erica rushed over and was alarmed by the state her sister was in and noticed Punk had been crying too

"April" Erica whispered "What happened?"

"Run her a bath but don't fill the water to the top" Punk told her and she raced up the stairs quickly while Cliff held Quinn. Upon seeing her parents Quinn started to cry because she wanted to be with them

"I've got her" Cliff said holding Quinn and trying to sooth her

"You sure?" Punk asked him

"Yea take care of her" Cliff said. He was just as anxious to find out what happened with AJ but he had to take care of Quinn right now.

Punk headed up the stairs with AJ and carried her right into the large bathroom.

"I made it hot just the way she likes" Erica told him "What happened Ape?" she asked sadly as Punk sat her down on the closed toilet seat

"I'm sorry" AJ said tearfully

"For what?" she asked her sister kindly

"For everything" AJ said whispered

"I've got her" Punk told her "Just help Cliff"

"Ok" Erica said unsurely but walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Punk eased off AJ's shirt and helped her undress completely before placing her into the bath. There wasn't much water but enough to clean her just not enough to drown herself, which was Punk's fear.

"I shouldn't have done that" AJ said to him but she was talking as if she was zombie. She wasn't even looking at him. Punk didn't respond he instead poured some water down her back to get the sand off of her. "Are you mad at me?" she asked looking over to him after minutes of silence but again he didn't respond but decided after a few moments it was best that he did. He knew he had to tread carefully and try not to lose his temper.

"No I'm just surprised" Punk said quietly avoiding looking at her eyes. "and scared"

"I wasn't thinking" AJ admitted

"That what scares me" Punk responded

"I was upset I would never try to kill myself" AJ said to him

"You did try" Punk reminded her calmly "Right in front of me as a matter of a fact. I can't forget that. I'm going to make some calls tonight see if I can get you some help-"

"Don't send me away" AJ said fearfully

"I'm not going to send you away" Punk said to her "But I have to do something"

"You are doing something" AJ assured him "You helped me"

"I'm not helping you" Punk argued "Obviously I stopped helping a long time ago. You need some help and I don't emotional help I mean professional help"

"You think I'm crazy?" AJ asked him hurt

"No I think you're burnt out" Punk said to her "You're exhausted. You have a newborn you're taking care of, a psycho after you- it's a lot"

"If you tell anyone they'll put me in a hospital" AJ reminded him "Christian will find me" she made a good point and Punk knew it. "I was just overly emotionally if I wanted to kill myself I would have done it a long time ago"

"You tired to do it tonight" Punk said in a serious voice "I need to get you help"

"It wasn't planned" AJ said to him "It's not like I thought about it- I just went for it. I won't do it again"

"You're a liar" Punk told her in a gently tone but it still surprised her

"What?" she asked hurt

"You've been lying to me" Punk reminded her "How am I supposed to believe anything you say?"

"Because I'm not lying now" was AJ's only defense

"Ok" Punk said brushing it off. A knock at the door caused him to look up and Erica stepped in

"Is everything alright?" Erica asked them "Cliff calmed Quinn down"

"Yea I'll be down in a few minutes" AJ told her

"No" Punk said quickly "Can you stay with her and help her get dressed?"

"Of course" Erica said unsurely as Punk stood up and walked past Erica

"Do not let her out of your sight" Punk warned Erica who just nodded.

* * *

Punk headed down the stairs and saw Quinn was in her basinet. Cliff was nearby and walked over to Punk.

"What happened?" Cliff asked "Erica said AJ was going to buy a gun"

"She was" Punk said to him slowly "I got there right before she handed the money over"

"So what happened after that? Did you two get into a fight or something?" Cliff asked curiously "She looked so drained"

"We argued" Punk said to him "Then she tried to kill herself"

"What?" Cliff asked stunned "No way not AJ"

"She tried to drown herself in the ocean" Punk said to him "I had to pull her out and bit me" he said pointing to the visible bite mark on his arm "She kicked me, she slapped me and tried to crawl into the water I had to drag her away" Punk said still not believing what had happened earlier that night

"Jesus" Cliff muttered "What would posses her to do something so stupid?"

"Her reasoning this time was Christian would leave us all alone if she was dead" Punk said bitterly

"She's been so strong for so long man" Cliff said to him

"She has a newborn" Punk said to him bitterly "She was just going to leave Quinn behind"

"She thinks she protecting her" Cliff reasoned

"Don't tell me you're defending this" Punk said startled

"No of course not but you have to step into her shoes" Cliff said to him "She's scared and she feels like she's been backed into a corner. I know you're pissed off at her I can see it in your eyes but she needs you now more than she ever had before"

"I don't know how to help" Punk admitted feeling himself start to grow emotional "I want to just shake her until she starts thinking clearly or hold her until she feels safe but that won't work. I don't know how to help! How do I help her?" he asked desperately

"I wish I had an answer" Cliff answered softly

"I've fought so hard to keep her safe and then I just watched her throw it all away willingly" Punk whispered

"She wasn't thinking" Cliff reasoned

"I should take her to a hospital" Punk said to him "But AJ made a good point Christian could walk right into a hospital and get to her and they won't let me be with her at all times"

"You can't be there at all times even if you wanted to" Cliff reminded him "You have a daughter now too"

"I don't know what to do" Punk said frustrated as he ran his hands roughly over his face "What if she tries it again? How do I know she won't? I can't be with her and Quinn constantly"

"We're here to help too" Cliff reminded him "And let's be honest here for a minute do you really think she needs a hospital? She knew you were right there and you were going to pull her out. If she really wanted to kill herself she would have"

"I feel like people say that all of the time" Punk muttered

"It's true" Cliff reasoned "I think she was emotional and just broke down"

"She shouldn't have gotten to that point" Punk told him seriously "You should have seen her I didn't even recognize her"

"It happens" Cliff told him "People break"

"But I've worked so hard to keep her together" Punk countered "I've done everything at least I thought I was doing everything right but I was wrong. How did I let it get this far?"

"It's not on you" Cliff said to him

"I knew she was holding back from me but I thought she was happy" Punk said to him "I mean she's been laughing and joking around this entire week. How could I not see how much pain she was in?"

"She masks it well" Cliff said to him "She always has. She's always the strong one. I just think everything hit her all at once. It's not like one small thing happened. Every time something has happened to her she's had to quickly move on and focus on other things. When she was first broke up with him she was focused on staying alive and getting away, when she was beating with the belt she was worried about work and jumped right back into it, after the assault at your home she moved in with you and you got engaged, after the kidnapping you two married a week later, after the stabbing you kind of lost it and did that stupid thing with Eve so she was preoccupied with that, after the prison assault she found out she was pregnant like ten minutes later and then the stuff with Dan barely registered with her because she was about to have Quinn but now she's had all of this free time and all she's probably been doing is thinking. She's been in shook since the day she left Christian it's just taken a while to hit her"

"She's broken" Punk said to himself "Now I just need to figure out how to fix her"

"I'm not an expert" Cliff said to him "But you know where I'd start?" he asked then pointed over to Quinn

"Do you think she should be around Quinn?" Punk asked him

"Come on" Cliff sighed with a smile "That's her daughter. She loves her and she needs all the love in the world. She also could use a reminder as to why she should never do something like this again" Punk just nodded in agreement as he looked over to Quinn as well.

* * *

AJ was sitting up in bed with Erica watching her closely with her arms folded.

"You don't have to watch me like this" AJ said to her sister

"Yes I do" Erica said seriously "I think I've pieced together what happened tonight"

"It wasn't a big deal" AJ said to her

"The fact that you think what you did tonight wasn't a big deal frightens me" Erica said to her

"I was just out of it" AJ said to her sister "I was talking crazy I know that. Trust me I've come to my senses. The look in Phil's face is something I'll never forget"

"Good" Erica said coldly

"Look I'm sorry about what I said before I left-" AJ started

"-I'm not mad about that April" Erica said to her "I'm mad that you have this amazing family that adores you and you've been so reckless with it."

"You're right" AJ agreed with a slow nod

"I am?" Erica asked surprised

"I think I really just needed to let it out" AJ admitted "And I did and then some" she said regrettably "I'll never get to that point again"

"I really hope not" Erica said to her seriously "I've worked too hard on making things right with you to watch you blow it away-literally with a gun"

"I don't think the gun thing is that big of a deal of still" AJ said annoyed "I should have went about it better but I still think it's a good idea"

"You were plotting a murder" Erica reminded her

"It was stupid" AJ agreed

"Very" Erica said to her

"I don't think Phil is ever going to forgive me for this" AJ said to Erica fearfully "I think I finally pushed him too far"

"Well you didn't see his face when he carried you in earlier" Erica said to her "That was the face of a broken man" AJ cried upon hearing that "I'm not telling you this to hurt you. But it's not just your life you tired to throw away tonight it was your husband and daughters. Thankfully Quinn is too young to know but Punk isn't. He was crying when he carried you in. I have never seen him cry and I never thought I would. Do you have any idea how much he loves you?""

"Yes" AJ sniffled

"I'm not trying to guilt you" Erica said taking a seat at the edge of the bed grabbing AJ's hand "I'm just trying to get you to see how much your life means to people"

"I didn't want to kill myself" AJ argued "I still don't understand why I even did it" she cried "I've never thought about it or considered it before"

"Good and I hope you never do again" Erica said to her pulling her into a hug "I love you too"

"I know" AJ said hugging her back

"Everything ok?" Punk asked walking into the room with Quinn in his arm

"Yea" Erica said pulling away and smiling towards AJ "She's ok" She said to Punk "I'll leave you guys alone" she said then walked out of the room

"Phil-" AJ started

"Just hold her" Punk said giving Quinn to AJ and if she wasn't crying before she was now "She needs you"

"I know" AJ whispered kissing the top of her head "I've never felt a love before like I feel with her" she admitted looking down at her daughter's happy face and AJ smiled through her tears "I'm sorry if I let you down" She said to Quinn then looked towards Punk "I'm sorry if I let you down too"

"I love you" Punk told her simply "You get that right? I know I say a lot but it's not just something I throw I around. I'm not being romantic or overdramatic when I say you're my life- you truly are. I will do everything I can to keep you safe and sane and I should be apologizing for letting you down"

"You haven't" AJ said promised "It's been me I'm the mess and I should have been stronger for you both"

"You can't always be strong" Punk said to her "I should know that better than anyone. We're going to get through this"

"Together?" AJ asked hopefully

"Always" he said with hesitation

"You're not going to take me to a hospital?" she asked fearful of his response "If you want to that's fine I won't fight you but I think I'm ok"

"I don't know what we're doing right now" Punk admitted "Let's just make it through the night"

"Ok" AJ agreed as she bounced Quinn on her knees happily.

* * *

Punk was awake the entire night and kept an eye on AJ. The more he thought about the previous nights events the more he realized it wasn't truly a suicide but a cry for help. This Christian madness had to end before it officially drove her mad. She slept peacefully with Quinn the entire night and only began to wake up when Quinn started to stir.

"Morning" AJ mumbled looking over to him

"Good morning" He said quietly

"Did you get any sleep?" she asked sitting up slowly

"No" He told her honestly

"You should sleep" She said to him

"I've been thinking" Punk said to her

"About what?" AJ asked him

"Just of ways to make this all go away" Punk said to her

"You sound like me now" AJ said to him

"Well I'm not going to run off in the middle night and meet with gang members to buy a gun if that's what you thinking" Punk shot at her and she rolled her eyes

"I get it" AJ mumbled "It was stupid"

"Very" Punk agreed

"Did you come up with anything?" AJ asked him

"Claudette did have an idea" Punk said to her and AJ's eyes widened

"You told me she couldn't help" AJ said surprised

"Well I didn't like her plan" Punk told her honestly "But the more I think about it I wonder what other options we have anymore"

"What was it?" AJ asked him

"She thinks we need to bait him" Punk said to her "Set him up"

"How?" AJ asked

"I don't have all the details yet" Punk told her

"I'll do anything" AJ said quickly

"Yea I know" Punk said a little coldly "But you won't be involved. I'll do it"

"He doesn't want you" AJ reminded him "He wants me. He'll let his guard down around me"

"I know what he wants AJ" Punk groaned

"It was me she wanted to use wasn't it? That's why you didn't tell me" AJ asked but he didn't respond

"I'll do it" she said quickly

"I don't want you involved you're too volatile" Punk said seriously

"Phil" AJ started

"No AJ we're doing this my way or no way" Punk said firmly "I don't even know what she has in mind and we can't even discuss it until we go back to Chicago which I don't plan on doing for a little while"

"Ok" AJ agreed "You take the lead"

"Here let me change her and clean her up" Punk said reaching for Quinn

"No I want to" AJ said holding onto her "I need her right now"

"Alright" He said to her but gently grabbed her arm and she hissed lightly "Did I do this?" he asked eyeing the bruises on her arms. Last night was such a blur and he remembered grabbing her hard but he didn't think it was hard enough to bruise.

"It's fine" AJ said looking at the bruises herself

"I didn't mean to" Punk said honestly. And she should see the pain in his face.

"You did what you had to do" AJ said to him seriously "I'm not mad and you did nothing wrong. You did everything right"

"I should have been more careful" he said in disbelief

"You saved me" AJ smirked "Don't beat yourself up over it. It's not like you hit me"

"I never meant to put my hands on you like that" Punk promised her

"I know baby" she gave him a reassuring smile and giving him a kiss "They'll fade like the rest of last night hopefully." She then got out of the bed with Quinn in her arms and headed across the hall to clean her up.

* * *

Punk headed down the steps and reached for the pot of coffee. He was going to need it today.

"How is she?" Erica asked surprising him

"She seems better" Punk said to her "I still don't know if she's ok or if I should take her to see someone"

"I think she just needed to let it out" Erica said to him "She's been a ticking time bomb for months now. This was bound to happen"

"I just wish it wasn't so drastic" Punk said to her sipping on his coffee

"What are we going to do?" Erica asked him "How are we going to end this?"

"We're not going to do anything" Punk told her "I'm going to talk to Claudette"

"She wants to use April" Erica told him

"That won't be happening" Punk said quickly

"She thinks it will work" Erica said to him "He's on probation now. If he gets sent back to prison he can kiss all of his favors goodbye and special treatment. One more misstep and he could be looking at a life in solitary confinement."

"He'll screw up" Punk said to her "Not that I don't trust he'll just call one of his buddies again"

"Claudette said that wouldn't be possible" Erica said surely

"Excuse me lack of faith in her but she hasn't been too helpful lately" Punk smirked sipping again in his coffee

"She needs to find a way to catch him in the act of a crime and she thinks he'll only commit one-" Erica stopped when she saw Punk's glare intensify "Well you get the point"

"I think I can get him to commit a crime or two" Punk smirked

"He's never done anything personally except when it comes to April he's too smart" Erica reminded him "It also can't look like entrapment this is going to be very tricky"

"I can do tricky" Punk said to her "But we're not doing anything until I'm sure AJ is of sound mind"

"I don't think she will be until this is over" Erica said to him honestly

"I'm of sound mind" AJ said entering the kitchen with Quinn "Sorry didn't mean to eavesdrop on your private conversation that was about me"

"It's ok" Erica said with a shrug "You've always been like that. Can I hold my niece now? You've hogged her all night"

"She needs to eat" AJ said to her

"I'm the bottle expert" Erica said proudly taking Quinn from her and grabbing a bottle "I already heated it up earlier"

"Great" AJ said to as Erica left her alone in the room with Punk

"So are you really feeling better?" Punk asked her

"I had a moment last night. One I'm not proud of but that's what it was- just a moment" AJ told him "I lost it and broke it down it won't happen again"

"You're entitled to lose it once and a while and break down just not like that" Punk said to her

"I'm fine" she assured him

"Do you think you're depressed?" Punk asked her and she rolled her eyes

"I'm not depressed I was scared" AJ said to him "How could I be depressed when I have you and our beautiful daughter?"

"It happens" Punk said to her "I've seen it a lot with guys on the road"

"I'll do whatever you want to prove to you that I'm not suicidal" AJ said to him "Take me to a hospital, bring me to a doctor- whatever you need to have piece of mind is fine with me" he smiled at her offer and kissed her forehead

"That's what I needed to hear" Punk said to her

"So no hospital?" AJ asked hopefully

"No but I'm taking you to a therapist" Punk said to her "I need you to talk to someone who isn't me"

"Sick of me?" she teased

"No I just want to make sure you're being helped properly" Punk said to her "I have blinders on when it comes to you and clearly I can't see what's happening even when it's directly in front of my face"

"If that's what you want then I'll do it" she told him

"I really hope Quinn doesn't take after you in that way" Punk groaned "Just beaming a smile at me when in the meantime she's hiding something from me."

"You mean like kissing you goodnight then sneaking out of her bedroom window to meet with a boy?" AJ teased

"Don't go there with me" Punk warned "She'll never sneak out or run off with a boy"

"Ok if you say so" AJ said grabbing the coffee mug from his hand that he was drinking and sipping on it herself

"AJ you're kidding right?" Punk asked her as she walked off with his coffee "You don't really think-" he started then noticed she stole his coffee "Babe!" Punk shouted "That was my coffee!"


	78. Punk Appreciation Night

**Chapter 78: Punk Appreciation Night**

* * *

The next few days were peaceful for the most part for everyone. Punk hadn't mentioned Christian or any possible plan to AJ since the last time they discussed and focused on keeping her positive. He did find her a doctor out here to talk to and she had met with her twice already over the past few days. Her therapist didn't believe AJ was suicidal or depressed but simply exhausted. She had told Punk to make sure AJ remains stress free for a while and gets plenty of rest and he had made sure of it.

Erica and Cliff were also enjoying their time in Hawaii and loved taking Quinn around as if she was their own, Punk and AJ owed them big time for being such a huge help. Louie was also warming up to the beach even though AJ was sure he missed the dreary Chicago weather or at least the winter.

"So are you sure you two don't mind?" AJ asked Erica and Cliff as they were seated at the dinning room table

"Are you kidding? Of course not" Cliff said to her

"Yea I mean it's nothing we haven't done before. Quinn will be fine" Erica told her

"She's never been away from Phil and I a full night" AJ reminded her

"She won't even miss you guys" Erica replied smugly "She loves us"

"I know" AJ said to her "But you can call us anytime" she told her

"Speaking of does Punk know about any of this?" Cliff asked

"Know about what?" Punk asked almost fearfully as he entered the kitchen

"It's a good surprise" AJ assured him with a smile

"There's no such thing" Punk replied gruffly

"I don't know this seems pretty awesome" Cliff teased

"What is it?" Punk asked now fully curious

"I have a very special date planned for this evening" AJ told him proudly

"Oh really?" Punk asked with a grin

"Yup" AJ said to him "We're actually going to be staying out tonight" she told him

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Punk asked her

"Colt drove past Christian's and he's still there with is creepy little boyfriend Pete" Cliff told him

"Ok" Punk said feeling at ease "Are you going to be able to stay the night away from Quinn though?" he knew AJ was absolutely crazy protective over Quinn he was stunned she agreed to this

"We'll find out" AJ said with a laugh "We're not going to be far either"

"Yea just go and have a good night" Erica encouraged

"This is great practice for Erica and I" Cliff said to them as Erica shot him a crazed look

"That's a very, very, very long way off" Erica warned

"Yes I know" Cliff said with a laugh.

"So where are we going?" Punk asked her

"That's the surprise" AJ said slyly

"What should I wear?" Punk questioned

"I'd prefer if you wore nothing" AJ said seriously as Cliff immediately began to gag "But a nice pair of pants and a button down should do"

"Should I bring the camera?" Punk asked seriously

"What would you need-" Cliff stopped in the middle of his question then sported a horrified face "Ew seriously? You two are parents!"

"More like horny teenagers" Erica smirked

"No you don't" AJ smirked towards Punk ignoring Cliff and Erica

"Damn" Punk muttered snapping his fingers in defeat

"I'm sure you'll still have a great night" Cliff remarked

"Damn right he will" AJ said smugly "Be ready by seven" she told Punk as she stood up and gave him a kiss

"Where are you going?" Punk asked confused as she grabbed her bag

"Erica, Quinn and I are going shopping" AJ told her

"We went shopping a few days ago!" Punk reminded her

"Relax you don't have to come" AJ laughed

"Oh yea" He said feeling relief run through his body "Have a great time and take Cliff with you guys. I'd love to have the place to myself"

"You're such an asshole" Cliff shot at him "I have a great day planned for us"

"Oh really? Like what?" Punk challenged

"Well I thought we'd go surfing" Cliff said to him

"Great we're going to do that for six hours?" Punk asked seriously

"Then we'd have lunch" Cliff said

"Don't fill him up too much" AJ warned him as she placed her hand over Punk's stomach and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders "I have the best dinner planned"

"Way to ruin my plans" Cliff said annoyed to her "You should have spoken to me first"

"Shut up" Erica laughed at Cliff's childish comments "Go surfing, have a sandwich, come back shower and play games"

"Yes ma'm" Cliff responded as he gave her a kiss

* * *

"I still can't believe how much you're paying for this" Erica muttered as AJ paid the man in the comic book shop

"This is a great price" AJ defended

"Ridiculous" Erica said shaking her head "It's a comic book, he's going to read it once then toss it"

"First of all he probably won't even read it he'll be too afraid of ruining it" AJ said to her

"So what is the friggin point?" Erica asked stunned

"You just don't get comics" AJ smirked "Thank you" she said to the sales man and they walked out of the comic "Here can you hold it?" she asked her sister as she pushed Quinn in her stroller

"No way! What if I drop it?" Erica said horrified "You hold it and I'll push Quinn" she said taking the stroller from AJ happily

"Fine" AJ muttered "So have you and Cliff discussed children?"

"Marriage first" Erica said firmly

"So have you two discussed marriage than?" she asked her sister

"He brings it up a lot but you know me" Erica shrugged

"You couldn't do better than Cliff" AJ said to her

"I know" Erica agreed "I mean he really has the patience of a saint and he treats me like a princess. I've never had that"

"And he's amazing with Quinn" AJ added "So are you"

"Because you do all of the hard work I just play with her" Erica smirked "That's the best part about being an aunt"

"You've been a great aunt" AJ said to her "I really don't know how to thank you for everything you've done to help us"

"You don't have to thank me we're family" Erica reminded her "Also I kind of owe it to you"

"I've never blamed you for Christian" AJ said to her "I knew what I was doing"

"I know but I'm your big sister" Erica said genuinely "I should have had your best interests at heart but I was selfish"

"It's over" AJ said to her "We can't change anything but you've more than made up for it"

"We'll see" Erica said to her "So how's your therapy sessions going?" she asked with a laugh

"I've only gone twice" AJ reminded her "And it's not bad. I just find it hard to open up to a complete stranger"

"That's why I'm so surprised you agreed to this" Erica said to her

"It gives Phil piece of mind" AJ said to her simply "It's the least I can do"

"Yea and I thought Cliff had patience" Erica laughed "He's a really good man. It's a shame mommy and papa are so uninvolved I think they would have liked him"

"Their loss" AJ shrugged "It's a shame they're missing out on their granddaughter"

"That is a shame" Erica agreed "Because Quinn is the best baby ever. How did you get so lucky? You were such an annoying baby"

"I was not" AJ defended

"Oh you were" Erica laughed "So where to next?" she asked AJ

"I need to pick up my dress for tonight" AJ said to her

"You're going to wear one of those nerdy little dresses you love so much?" Erica asked

"First of all Phil loves me in those dresses but no I thought I'd wear something sexier" AJ said to her

"In that case can I do your hair and makeup?" Erica asked excitedly

"I don't really wear makeup and what's wrong with my hair?" AJ asked offended

"Sex it up a bit!" Erica laughed

"Phil thinks I look beautiful just the way I am" AJ said proudly

"I'm sure he does and you are but you can dress up once in a while and surprise him" Erica said to her

"Fine" AJ agreed "But nothing over the top"

* * *

Later that night Punk was already dressed and ready to go. He had on a plaid shirt and pair of dark jeans. He didn't go all out but he did shave his face and slick his hair back.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok with her?" Punk asked Cliff as he held his daughter

"Dude I watch her all of the time" Cliff said annoyed

"You watch her when I'm in the next room" Punk reminded

"You're going to be five minutes away- walking distance I'm sure I'll manage" Cliff mocked

"Really? So you know what my wife has planned?" Punk asked

"I only overheard AJ say that to Erica and once they heard me listening they stopped talking" Cliff admitted "They think I'll tell you"

"I can't imagine why" Punk remarked

"Here give her to me" Cliff said holding his arms out to Quinn

"No" Punk said annoyed "I'm going to be away from her all night"

"What if she spits up on your shirt?" Cliff asked

"Then I'll put another one" Punk said quickly "Get your own kid"

"Why when I can just hang out with yours?" Cliff asked him seriously

"I think she's looking a lot like AJ as she gets older" Punk said eyeing his daughter then making a face at her causing her to smile

"Than you're in big trouble" Cliff said seriously

"Tell me about it" Punk muttered

"AJ doesn't even have to try to be beautiful" Cliff said to him and Punk agreed "Could you imagine how dangerous she would be if she actually put on makeup? Imagine if Quinn turns out like that?"

"Quinn isn't allowed to wear makeup" Punk said to him

"If you say no they'll do it anyway" Cliff said seriously "I saw that on an episode of the Karadashian's"

"I don't know if I'm more disturbed by the fact you watch the Kardashian's or that you're comparing my daughter to one of them" Punk said honestly

"Erica watches all of that crap" Cliff said to him "But there was an episode where the youngest girl wanted to wear makeup and Bruce Jenner said 'no' and you want to know what she did when he said that?"

"I could really care less but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway" Punk said as he kept making faces at Quinn

"She went out to dinner and put makeup on- a lot of it" Cliff said to him

"That must have been a special two part episode" Punk mocked

"That was a couple of years ago do you know that little one is a model now?" Cliff asked "All because her dad was too strict that one time"

"Well if her dad was still strict she wouldn't be modeling today" Punk smirked

"You wouldn't let Quinn model?" Cliff questioned

"No" Punk said to him "My daughter isn't going to work a job where men are going to ogle her in magazines"

"So I guess wrestler is out" Cliff muttered

"Yup" Punk said as he bounced Quinn on his knee "Quinn is going to be a lawyer or a doctor. Something where her job requires her to be fully dressed at all times of the day-" Punk noticed Cliff stopped listening to him and was looking behind him "What are you looking at?" he asked turning his head as well and saw his wife sporting a short red dress which was enough to cause Punk's heart to race but she was wearing a light coating of makeup and her hair was down and wavy for a change. She looked beautiful.

"Hi" Cliff said smiling AJ

"Hi Cliff" AJ smirked "Are you ready?" she asked looking over to Punk

"Yea" he said quickly kissing Quinn and passing her over to Cliff

"Goodnight baby" AJ said walking over and kissing Quinn's head "I've got lipstick on her" AJ frowned trying to clean it off

"Lucky baby" Cliff muttered

"I heard that" Erica said walking over to him "But it's ok- she looks hot" she said smiling at her sister

"Ready?" Punk asked anxiously

"Yes let's go" she said grabbing his hand "Remember she needs to eat in half an hour and to be in bed by eight thirty-"

"We know the drill just have a good time" Erica said pushing them towards the door

"And you have both our numbers-" AJ started

"Here" Erica said passing her the wrapped gift she had "Just go and have a good time. We'll be fine"

"Louie needs a walk too" Punk said to Cliff

"That dog hates me" Cliff said annoyed

"I'll take care of it" Erica assured him "Just go and stop fussing we've done this before"

"Ok" AJ said unsurely as she stepped out the door with Punk

"Did you buy me a present?" Punk asked nodding towards the gift in her hand

"Maybe" She teased locking her hand with his and leading him away from the house

"You look amazing" Punk said letting her lead as he checked her out from behind

"You don't look so bad yourself" AJ smirked

"So what's the plan for the night?" Punk asked her

"We're going to have dinner" AJ said to him "Then we're going to stay in the resorts hotel for the night"

"So we're not even really leaving the resort grounds?" Punk asked her

"No I couldn't be too far from Quinn" AJ admitted "Maybe in time we can actually have a real night away but I'm not ready yet"

"Me either" Punk agreed

"But I think you deserve a night off" AJ said to him "A night off from late night feedings or checking to make sure your crazy wife is still in bed and not running off"

"I don't think you're crazy" Punk said to her seriously "And I like the late night feedings"

"I know" She smiled "But one night away that's all about you is deserved"

"Tonight is all about me?" Punk asked smiling pointing to himself

"Uh-huh" She said as they reached the restaurant "I'm calling tonight Punk appreciation night"

"I'm honored" He grinned smugly as he held the door open for AJ to enter the restaurant first

"Mrs. Brooks" a man in a suit smiled walking over to her. He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently "You look lovely tonight"

"Thank you" AJ smiled at the older man

"And Mr. Brooks" the man said shaking his hand "We have your table all set up for you"

"Thank you" she said following the man through the restaurant and out the back door, which led to the deck where there was a small table with candles. The man held out a chair of AJ and Punk took the only other seat available across from her at the rounded table.

"Your waiter will be over in a few moments" he said placing the menus down

"This is nice" Punk said taking the view of the ocean and all the candles

"It is beautiful" AJ agreed

"Definitely beautiful" He said eyeing her so she would know he was referring to her.

"Hello" the waiter said walking over "I'm Javier I'll be your waiter this evening" he said looking at AJ. "Can I start you off with a wine list?"

"No thank you" AJ said politely "We're going to have water"

"Are you sure?" the man questioned "We have quit the selection" he smiled

"Water" Punk said dryly and annoyed with the man already

"Coming right up" Javier said to him with a forced smile

"That was rude" AJ said to Punk

"He was eyeing you like a steak dinner" Punk said bitterly "He didn't even acknowledge me. Me being rude to him should be the least of his fears"

"Stop" AJ giggled

"You look gorgeous" Punk said to her seriously "As much as I'm enjoying my view I'd prefer if you didn't doll yourself anymore than you have to. Now I have to deal with losers drooling over you for the rest of the night"

"Well after the restaurant we'll be all alone" AJ assured him "Unless Javier wants to join us" she teased causing him to glare at her as he looked over the menu "Kidding" she added quickly.

* * *

After Javier took their orders Punk was more annoyed the overly friendly waiter and when their appetizers came Punk didn't think it was necessary for the man to open AJ's napkin and place it over her lap.

"I'm going to hit him" Punk warned AJ

"Stop we're having a good night" AJ said to him with a smile "Let's have a drama free night for once"

"He didn't have to do that" Punk said annoyed

"It's what they do at places like this" AJ reasoned

"No it's not" He said in a mocking voice

"Here stop being a baby and open your present" AJ said passing him over the wrapped box

"Oh that's right my present" Punk grinned accepting the gift "I didn't get you anything though"

"Just a wonderful home, a sense of security and a beautiful daughter" AJ rambled off "You've gotten me enough for a lifetime. Besides consider this a late anniversary gift"

"Ok" Punk said unwrapping the gift and AJ was pleased when his eyes widened with joy "I've been looking everywhere for this" it was the first ever Walking Dead comic. It wasn't overly expensive or anything but it was still well over a grand. It was in mint condition as well

"I got in touch with the guy who owns the shop out here and he ordered it for me" AJ said to him "Do you really like it?"

"I love it" Punk said happily "You didn't have to though"

"I wanted to" AJ said to him "You've been so great to me this past year. You've literally put your own life on hold for mine and I want you to know that I appreciate it and love you just as much as you love me"

"I didn't put anything on hold" Punk said to her "We're a family we do things together."

"You gave me a family" AJ said to him "You were also the first person to ever truly love me for me. I don't even want to think about where I would be today if you hadn't forced your way into my life"

"Probably still cutting up t-shirts" Punk smirked

"Or dead" AJ said and he frowned she reached over and grabbed his hand "What I did to you a couple of nights ago most men would have ran for the hills or put me away. You believed in me and fought for me."

"You're my wife AJ" Punk reminded her "I'll always fight for you and I will never leave you. I haven't been prefect either" he pointed out "You've been very patient with me as well"

"You can't even compare the two" AJ said seriously

"Let's not compare or keep score." Punk said to her "It's just what we do. Sometimes when one of us down the other one picks up the slack that's all."

"You always pick me up" AJ said sweetly

"You've always picked me up too" Punk said seriously as he lifted her hand and kissed it

"More water?" Javier offered with a smile walking over with a glass pitcher ruining the moment causing Punk to drop AJ's hand and glare at the man. AJ tried to hide her laughter.

"No" Punk said annoyed

"Yes please" AJ said sweetly. As Javier smiled towards AJ and began to pour it into the glass he knocked it over causing it to spill right on AJ's lap, she shot up out of her seat.

"I am so sorry madam" he said reaching for a napkin

"It's ok" she assured the nervous man "It's just water"

"Here let me" he said using the napkin the wipe away her dress.

"That's ok" AJ said forcing a smile trying to stop him before Punk officially lost it.

"I insist" Javier said not stopping his movements

"I insist you stop" Punk said placing his hand on Javier's shoulder. AJ hadn't even noticed he left his seat "I'll help my wife you can run all along now" he said through clenched teeth

"Of course" Javier said nervously and passing Punk the napkin "I'll bring another cloth over" he said then walked off

"Now can I hit him?" Punk asked as he dried AJ's dress

"No" She laughed taking the cloth napkin from him "I've got it, its just water not a big deal"

"Yea and it's not like you're ever going to be wearing that dress again" Punk agreed as she looked up at him

"I like this dress" she said to him

"You're attracting all unwanted attention in that dress" Punk said to her "Return it or burn it for all I care"

* * *

After dinner AJ led Punk into the hotel and they were bought to the penthouse suite.

"Now this is a nice room" Punk said looking around the huge suite. "And what a view" he said looking out the window towards the moonlit ocean.

"It's amazing" AJ said coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist "But we're not here for the view" she said pulling away and grabbing his hand. She walked backwards so she could face him as she led him towards the bedroom.

"I'm enjoying the view I have right now" Punk smirked kissing her before she could open the double doors that led to the bedroom.

"Patience" AJ scolded lightly pulling away

"I can't help it" He said tugging her into his body and she could already feel his want for her "I've wanted you all night" he whispered into her ear as he his hands moved to her rear and giving it a firm squeeze.

"And you'll have me…all night" she teased before pulling away from him and opening the doors to the bedroom.

"Is that promise?" Punk asked as he followed her into the room that was also covered in candles and the bed had rose pedals covering it "You really went all out for me"

"Cheesy but romantic" AJ admitted

"Thoughtful and sweet" Punk corrected "Thank you for tonight"

"Do you think we should call Cliff and Erica before?" AJ asked him as she reached into her purse to grab her phone

"We called them in the elevator" Punk reminded her as he nipped at her lips and pulled her bag away from her so she couldn't get the phone "And three times at the restaurant" he added as he kissed her lips again "And I know for a fact you called while you were in the bathroom. They're fine" he smirked against her lips before capturing them again with his own

"Ok, ok" she smiled giving into the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck forcing him to deepen the kiss. Punk ran his hands down her side and stopped at her hips, he began to massage her through the thin material of the dress. Without there lips breaking contact Punk guided her to the bed and gently pushed her down on it. Punk eyed her as he licked his lips and she knew what he was thinking….

"Tonight is about you." AJ reminded him

"I know" he smiled "It's been a great night" he agreed as he took off her shoes and carelessly threw them behind him. He began to massage her calve lightly as he kissed her leg.

"I'm supposed to be in control" AJ said to him

"No, no if it's really my night you'll let me go first" He said as he moved on to her other leg. Who was she to argue? Even the simplest of touches from her drove her wild.

"Fine" she agreed as he smiled.

"I need to get this dress off of you" Punk said as he ran his hands up her body and stopping at the top of her dress

"The zipper is on the-" AJ started to inform him the zipper was located on the side but he instead ripped the brand new dress right down the middle. AJ was stunned "Phil!" she shouted with a laugh. She should have seen it coming; he hated her in that dress and he warned her earlier- the dress had to be destroyed

"I told you" Punk said as she lifted her body up so he could pull the rest of it off her "I don't want anyone seeing you in this dress"

"Well now no one will" AJ said as he smiled triumphantly and began to kiss her torso causing her to let out a giggle. He loved hearing her laugh and kissing her. So kissing her there was one of his favorite spots to kiss "But you do realize I didn't pack anything else right?" he stopped in his tracks and looked up at her

"I assumed I'd wear the dress back to the resort tomorrow" she giggled at his very displeased face

"You didn't bring anything else?" Punk asked

"No because I didn't think you'd rip my dress up in a jealous rage" AJ laughed as she tugged Punk by the shirt so he was laying on top of her "Try to be gentle with my underwear I'd like to have something on when we're walking home tomorrow" she laughed again she loved the face he was making. He looked so defeated in such a cute way

"You'll wear my clothes home tomorrow" Punk said simply as AJ began to unbutton his shirt and slid it off of him with ease

"And let you get eyed up? No way" she smirked

"Stupid dress" Punk muttered annoyed

"I thought you liked the way I looked in it" AJ frowned

"I did very much" Punk assured "You just look a lot better now" he then kissed down her body until he reached her the apex of her thighs and very carefully pulled her red thong down her slender legs.

"Phil I don't want to wait anymore for you" AJ said impatiently

"Trust me it'll be worth the wait" he said with a cocky grin. He tugged her towards the edge of the bed so her legs were dangling off and got down on his knees in front of her.

"I need you" AJ whined

"And you'll get me" Punk said as he lifted her legs over his shoulders and tugged her close enough to his face "All of me" he said before leaning in and giving her a slow lick. AJ arched her back and let out a moan from the contact

"Phil" AJ moaned

"What do you want baby?" he asked her as he licked her again

"Please" she almost cried arching her back again and fisting the bedsheets

"You were so sweet to put this together for me." He said to her before lowering his mouth to her and capturing her nub in it. She let out another load moan as Punk began to massage her clit with his mouth. She knew she wasn't going to last but as soon as she felt him enter two finger into her folds and inside her core she began to pant and sweat more. "Feeling good baby?" he asked briefly before continuing the task at hand

"So, so, so…." She couldn't even finish the thought because Punk entered a third finger now and she felt completely consumed him. He bit down hard over her nub and she absolutely exploded. She felt him remove his fingers and began to lap up her juices "Oh my god" She panted. He wasn't stopping for anything. He moved his hands to her butt and lifted her slightly so he could take everything she had just offered him while her legs wrapped dangerously around his neck. Just when she thought he was done he kept going until she climaxed for a second time and he again licked her clean.

"That was the best present you could give me" Punk said crawling up her body while she tried to regain her senses

"So good" was the only sensible thing AJ could get

"It was nice to hear you scream like that again" Punk smirked as he unhooked her bra from the front and it soon joined her torn dress and underwear "It such a turn on" he informed her as he used his hand to massage her breast

"I'm not worried a dog is going to run in bite you" AJ smirked

"That is a nice change" Punk smirked before taking her free nipple into his mouth. He spent over a minute on it before starting to move to the next one but he was flipped over on his back before he knew it. He looked up at his wife who was now on top of him and smiled "Well hello there" He grinned

"Hi" she smiled with wide eyes that were filled with lust and want, he remembered that's exactly as she looked at him the first night they were together and after all this time she still wanted him just as much. He felt the same as well. AJ unbuttoned his jeans and quickly pulled them and his boxers down his legs. Before he could say or do anything AJ licked the top of him from bottom to top and sucking lightly once she reached his tip. He couldn't stifle the moan of pleasure and watched as AJ took him in completely and began to make love to him with her mouth. She made sure to keep her eyes locked on his as much as possible.

"Babe" Punk mustered out. He didn't want her to stop but he also didn't want to blow like this, he wanted to go out with a bang so to speak. "Babe you've gotta stop right now" she ignored him and continued to work him the best way she knew how until she felt him pull her head away from him

"You say something?" she asked innocently

"Now" he said firmly

"This is your night" AJ reminded him with a grin and was ready to swallow him whole again but he stopped her

"You're right it's my night and I want you on top of me" Punk said seriously and she tried not to laugh at how desperate his face looked. She moved back up his body and kissed his lips again. It was deep and passionate. "I love you" he said as he tucked her wavy hair behind her ear. He always said it randomly when they were having sex and she loved that quirk of his.

"I love you too" She said with a serious voice. She then raised her hip, positioned herself over him and she dropped down hard

"Fuck" he moaned in pure pleasure his hands moved to her hips. AJ head fell backwards as she began to move. Punk began to thrust his hips into her and they began to move in sync of each other.

"So fucking close" Punk warned as AJ placed her hands on his chest as she continued to move "You look so hot right now" he said unable to remove his eyes from her.

"I'm so close" AJ warned and that's when Punk moved his hand back over her clit "Oh Phil" she moaned loudly

"That's it baby" Punk encouraged as he saw the sweat drip down her body. That only pushed him further to reaching his own limit.

"Babe" AJ warned and he felt her muscles tighten and she finally released. As soon as she did Punk flipped her onto her back and thrust into her three more times until he climaxed deep inside of her. He crashed against her body and once he did AJ wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to sooth him and help him catch his breath.

"Best night ever" He muttered against her ear causing her to smile. He didn't even consider moving but AJ wrapped her legs around him as well in attempt to cocoon his body, a way of letting him know that she would protect him too.

"I love you baby" AJ said underneath causing him to lift his head and look directly into her eyes. He offered her a smile before leaning in and kissing her…


	79. Lying Game

**Chapter 79: Lying Game**

* * *

AJ was lying on top of Punk trying to catch her breath. She felt him brush her hair back and she rested her chin on his chest and looked at him and smiled.

"Good morning" AJ smiled as she kissed his lips

"It defiantly is" Punk grinned feeling completely satisfied "I wish you'd wake me up like that every morning"

"I would if I could" AJ said as she lifted herself off of Punk and rolled back to her side of the bed "As fun as this night and morning getaway has been I really want to get back to Quinn."

"Yea me too" Punk agreed sitting up "Shower?"

"I don't trust being in the shower with you at the moment" AJ teased

"I'll be a perfect gentleman" Punk smirked

"Right" AJ scoffed sitting up as well "How about I shower and you go down to the gift shop"

"Why?" Punk groaned "I hate shopping"

"Fine I'll go but I still don't have anything to wear" AJ said seriously and that's when it hit Punk. He ripped up her dress the previous night

"I'll go" Punk volunteered quickly reaching for his boxers and jeans

"Are you sure?" AJ teased "I don't mind"

"I do" he said seriously as he buttoned up his shirt

"You're buying me a new dress by the way" AJ warned him

"Not one like that" he said as he walked out the door.

AJ had taken a quick shower and was brushing her hair with a towel wrapped around her body when she felt arms around her waist.

"Javier I told you Phil will be back any minute" AJ teased using the waiters name from last night

"Funny" Punk responded with a forced laugh as he pulled away abruptly

"Stop it" AJ giggled turning around to look at him as he pouted at her

"Whatever go get dressed before I rip that towel off of you and make you forget every other man's name" Punk warned her

"Yea, yea just shower so we can get back" AJ smirked

"I left clothes for you on the bed" Punk said as he turned on the shower water.

AJ walked over to the very large bag from the gift shop and rolled her eyes when she saw he had purchased a man's sweatshirt and sweatpants for her to venture home in and pair of flip-flops.

"Phil" AJ said annoyed as she walked back into the bathroom

"What?" he asked opened the glass door to the shower

"I'm not going to fit into those clothes" she sighed

"Yea I thought they might be a pinch big" Punk shrugged "You'll make due. It's only a ten minute walk"

"They didn't have t-shirts or shorts?" AJ asked him

"Didn't see any" Punk said in a serious voice

"How odd" AJ mocked folding arms

"Yea I thought it was strange myself" Punk said to her "You wear my stuff all of the time so I assumed you wouldn't mind"

"It's different when I wear your clothes" AJ said to him

"How so?" he asked

"Ugh just finish your shower" AJ said turning around and he laughed

"Enjoy your clothes!" Punk yelled out before AJ walked out of the room completely

* * *

AJ was miserable and hot as they walked back to the resort but Punk seemed to almost be walking on air. AJ gave him a stress free night and he hadn't one in such a long time.

"Hey how was dinner?" Cliff asked as they walked inside

"It was good" Punk said closing the door behind them

"Where's my daughter?" AJ asked quickly

"Who?" Cliff asked seriously but AJ shot him a look to let him know jokes like that were not ok "Upstairs with Erica. She just got up" AJ and Punk walked up the steps and found Erica changing Quinn.

"Of course" Erica muttered "If they had been here five minutes earlier one of them could have changed one of the smelliest diapers I have ever changed"

"How is she?" AJ asked walking over and picking up her daughter

"She was an angel" Erica informed them then looked over to AJ "Ew what the hell are you wearing? You are aware it's like ninety degrees outside"

"This outfit was a gift from Phil" AJ said to her

"Really? It sucks" Erica said to Punk "The dress we picked out was way better"

"Oh you had a say in her wearing that dress" Punk grinned "Explains a lot"

"What explains what?" Cliff asked walking into the room

"Crazy Punk thought AJ looked to good in her dress last night and made her wear this" Erica said to Cliff

"The dress actually ripped" AJ corrected her sister "It was un-wearable"

"How badly could you have ripped it?" Cliff asked

"Right down the middle in half" Punk told him smugly

"Ew" Erica said disgusted

"Lucky bastard" Cliff muttered

"Our waiter was trying to feel her up all night" Punk defended

"Did you hit him?" Cliff asked seriously

"No AJ wouldn't let me" Punk said annoyed

"Why?" Cliff asked her

"Because we a wonderful evening why ruin it by getting banned from this lovely resort?" AJ asked the group then looked at Quinn "Did you miss mommy?" she asked kissing her head

"What about me?" Punk asked that's when he heard Louie bark

"Oh crap I forgot to walk him today" Cliff admitted with a smirk

"Useless" Punk muttered to Cliff "Come on Louie at least someone missed me" before he left the room he kissed Quinn's head

"So did he like the gift?" Erica asked AJ

"He seemed to" AJ said to her as she bounced Quinn on her hip "Thank you guys for watching her"

"No problem" Cliff said to her

"But we're going to be going tonight so don't wait up" Erica grinned

"Where to?" AJ asked

"The resort club. Cliff said he had a great time there the last time you all stayed here" Erica said to them

"Ok but don't stumble in wasted and wake up Quinn" AJ warned them

"I really wanted to borrow that dress you had on last night" Erica said annoyed

"Really?" Cliff asked with a grin

"Yea well obviously that's out of the question now" Erica muttered "We're going to have to stop at the dress shop"

"Take AJ with you" Cliff whined

"No you're coming with me so buck up" Erica warned

* * *

Christian was in his hotel room back in Chicago on his phone while sipping on tea.

"She tried to buy a gun?" Christian asked into the phone

"Yup. She was close too" the voice on the other end told him "Her husband showed up"

"I'm sure he was less than thrilled" Christian muttered "He's an arrogant prick. Thinks he's too good for weapons"

"Yea well they got into a huge fight on the beach from what I could tell" the male's voice said to him "Even got physical"

"Did he put his hands on her?" Christian asked in a dangerously threatening voice

"No I mean yea but to help her. She tried to jump in the ocean and he pulled her out but she kept fighting him" the man said to him "Very dramatic"

"What has gotten into her?" Christian asked confused never once considering he was the cause "Buying a gun, running into dark oceans…it's not like her"

"The husband has taken her to a therapist a couple of times" the man informed him

"She's finally realized that Mr. Brooks isn't enough for her" Christian said to him "She misses me and wants to come home"

"Um sure" even the man hired to watch them in Hawaii felt Christian was delirious

"Keep me posted if anything else happens and if he ever touches her in a way that isn't gentlemanlike again you shoot him on sight do you hear me?" Christian questioned

"Yes sir" the man said then Christian hung up

"Trouble in their marriage already?" Pete Cryer asked his boss

"It would appear so" Christian said to him "She wants to come back to me"

"Oh really" Pete said casually as he sipped on his own tea

"Yes really." Christian said sadly "These past two years Phil Brooks has painted me as the bad man- the monster- when really it's him. April wants to be with him and he won't he let her. That's why he snuck her off to Hawaii" Pete just nodded along "She's finally realized that I am her soul mate"

"Mr. Scott how have you been feeling?" Pete asked him feel as if Christian was a little more 'off' than usual

"I've been wonderful" Christian said with a grin "I do miss April terribly"

"I know sir" Pete frowned

"I lay awake night and think of her. I imagine our life together, it's the only time I can actually sleep" Christian said sadly "She's just made things so difficult but I know her opinion has changed and I know she wants to come home to me"

"What about the kid?" Pete asked

"Quinn is invited if April chooses to bring her" Christian said to him casually "I never wanted to be a father but I'd be willing to try for April. Quinn Scott does have a lovely ring to it does it not?"

"Yes sir" Pete agreed with a nod

"Or maybe we could change her name I don't know yet" Christian said giving it thought as if this was possible plan "But if she doesn't want to bring Quinn and start over fresh that's fine as well."

"She seems real attached to the kid" Pete pointed out

"At first I didn't think I'd warm up to the child but I need to focus on April's happiness and clearly the child is important to her" Christian shrugged

"How do you want to handle this?" Pete asked almost afraid as to what Christian would say

"I just need April to know that I can keep her safe, take her away from Mr. Brooks without her having to live in fear." Christian said to him "And she will come back to me. I know her well it's only a matter of time"

* * *

Later that night once Quinn was asleep AJ walked downstairs where Punk was watching TV and took a seat next to him on the couch.

"She's asleep?" Punk asked and she nodded

"It took forever. I thought we were going to be in for a long night again" AJ said to him then looked over to him

"What?" Punk asked knowing she had something on her mind

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way" AJ started off "But I want to go home"

"Home?" Punk asked and she nodded

"I miss our house" AJ admitted "Louie misses it, Quinn misses it and I know you miss it"

"AJ it's just not safe" Punk told her simply "Do I have to remind you of what I found in that house?"

"I know and I think the sooner we get back and face all of this and sit down with Detective Williams the sooner it will all be over" AJ said to him "I really do love it here and I've had a great time but it's time we go home."

"I don't want to" Punk said to her honestly "I like it here"

"You know it's the right thing to do" AJ said to him "We can't hide here forever. Your sisters miss you and Quinn" she reminded him "And let's be real for a minute we're going to have to deal with Vince and WWE at some point. Your deadline has passed and you know he's going to be looking into taking legal action"

"AJ-" Punk started with a sigh

"Please?" she begged "Let's go home I just want to face this head on"

"Detective Williams said the only way to get Christian is by using you" Punk reminded her "It's too risky"

"So we'll find another way" AJ suggested "Or do it together I don't know but we'll figure it out." AJ saw her phone light up and vibrate on the table and realized she had a text message.

"Get your phone" Punk suggested

"We're talking right now" AJ said to him

"This conversation is over" Punk said simply. AJ groaned and reached for her phone and looked puzzled by the message "Who is it?"

"It's from him" AJ said slowly reading the messaged

"Him who?" Punk asked narrowing his eyes. He would have never even considered Christian reaching out to her personally. AJ passed him her phone.

'I know you want to come home and I know you miss me. I know Hawaii is beautiful but you are far more. I forgive you my love, I'll be seeing you shortly' –Christian

"That's really freaky" AJ said to him "Do you think he has my phone bugged or something?" she asked

"No" Punk said then gave it thought then looked over the phone anyway. "Has he messaged you before AJ?"

"No Phil" AJ said to him but he just glared at her "I'm telling the truth! Look through my entire phone for all I care I have never gotten a message from him before. This is the first time I've had any interaction with him in over a year"

"So why is he messaging you out of nowhere?" Punk demanded standing up "Just as you're talking about him"

"I'm not lying" AJ said to him and he just looked down at her "Phil I swear to you!"

"It's a little coincidental don't you think AJ?" Punk mocked "Is this part of some elaborate ploy to try to sacrifice yourself? I take you home and then you go to him?"

"Of course not" AJ defended standing up "Why are you saying this?"

"Because AJ you've lied to me" Punk reminded her "When it comes to him I just can't trust you"

"Look through my phone Phil" AJ insisted calmly "I have nothing to hide"

"But all you do is hide when it comes to him" Phil shot at her "Was that what last night was all about?"

"What?" AJ asked hurt

"Was it some sick way of saying goodbye to me or to try to distract me?" Punk asked her seriously "Because it won't work and I haven't gotten over the fact that you snuck out and lied to me about buying a gun"

"I told you we're a team and I wouldn't do that anymore" AJ defended

"How does he know we're here?" Punk questioned feeling his anger start to rise

"I don't know!" AJ yelled "I swear I didn't tell him but I'm sure he figured it out he has eyes everywhere"

"He didn't know we were here before AJ" Punk said to her "Now we really do have to leave"

"Chicago?" AJ asked almost hopefully

"No not Chicago not as long as he's there" Punk said to her

"So where would we go?" she asked with a frown

"I don't know and even if I did I wouldn't tell you" Punk said simply

"I didn't speak to him Phil" AJ said more firmly "You have every right to question this but I would never risk my daughter's safety and tell him where we were"

"You were set to practically invite him to bunk with us while you were gun shopping" Punk mocked

"I didn't do this Phil!" AJ yelled but Punk just walked away and out of the room leaving her hurt and speechless

* * *

"You were right sir" the man said into the phone while he glanced into the bottom floor window "They're arguing again"

"Of course they are" Christian said simply "I knew they were unraveling"

"You're very wise" the man said to him

"Keep up the good work and you'll be moved here to Chicago where the big boys play" Christian told him proudly "Keep me posted Javier"

"Of course" Javier said to him

"Oh and you'll find I'm sending you an extra bonus for the photo you sent me last night" Christian said happily "She's always looked radiant in red"

"I had to spill something on her dress to get that photo" Javier said to him "It wasn't easy"

"Oh I know" Christian said to him "Good job and keep it up."

* * *

AJ was lying on the couch watching TV when she heard the front door open. She looked up and saw Cliff and Erica stumble in and smiled because both were giggling trying to shush each other so they wouldn't wake anyone.

"Good evening" AJ said to them starling them "Or should I say morning since it's like two already?"

"Hey what are you doing here?" Erica asked her

"It's nothing" AJ said to her

"Are you sure?" Erica asked with a frown

"Yea I'm good" AJ said forcing a smile "You smell like alcohol by the way go shower that stench off"

"Yea, yea" Erica smirked. AJ turned back around and watched the TV when she felt Cliff lift her legs off the couch so he could take a seat

"What's wrong?" Cliff asked her

"Nothing" She assured him

"Why are you on the couch tonight?" Cliff questioned

"Because Phil's mad at me" AJ said to him honestly and turned off the TV

"Why did you buy another gun?" Cliff asked

"People need to that go" AJ warned "I got a message from Christian he knows we're here" she told him "He thinks I tipped him off"

"That's insane" Cliff said with a laugh

"I asked him if we could go home and like five seconds later I got a message from Christian and it said he knew I wanted to go home" AJ said to him and Cliff just nodded encouraging her to continue "He flipped out Cliff. He said I messaged Christian because he thinks I'm still plotting something and accused me of setting up dinner last night as some sort of a distraction"

"He's paranoid" Cliff pointed out

"I don't blame him" AJ said to him "But I swear on Quinn that I'm not lying"

"I know" Cliff smiled warmly at her "He's still a little traumatized by the beach incident. Cut him some slack"

"Of course" AJ said to him "I just hate that he doesn't trust me. I know I broke our trust but he could at least try. I did when he was with Eve. It wasn't easy for me but I worked on it and got past it"

"It hasn't even been a week" Cliff reminded her

"I know I just hate it" AJ admitted "I miss home and I miss the way Phil and I used to be. He's never accused me of lying like that before I didn't like it at all"

"He also didn't like watching you dive into the ocean" Cliff countered "Give it a little time"

"What are we going to do now?" AJ asked him "Christian knows we're here and he's ready to pack up and leave. He won't even tell me where he wants to go that's how little he trusts me. What if he leaves me?"

"What?" Cliff asked stunned

"How can you be with someone you don't trust?" AJ asked Cliff "I thought last night at least made it up for a little of what I've done but clearly it's done nothing. I don't think he'll ever look at me the same"

"He wouldn't leave you" Cliff assured her "And he'd hate that you were even thinking that way"

"I'm thinking clearly and rationally it's what he's thinking that worries me" AJ told him "I think I've really blow it"

"He loves you" Cliff reminded her

"Does he?" AJ asked him

Cliff and AJ didn't notice Punk was hiding outside the door listening to them talk. He felt his heart break slightly at the sound of AJ's heartbroken voice. He would _never_ leaver her and he _did _trust her. He was just caught off guard and surprised that Christian had contacted her that had always been his biggest fear. He knew Christian was growing impatient and he knew that meant things were going to get dangerous.


	80. The Dress

**Chapter 80: The Dress**

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up in Quinn's room. She hadn't even realized she fell asleep in there but remembered going up there after talking to Cliff. She walked across the hall and saw Punk was sound asleep in the spacious bed and passed by Cliff and Erica's room and both were asleep as well.

"It looks like it's just you and me this morning Louie" she said smiling at her faithful dog while he followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen "I know you're probably starving" she said pouring some kibble into his dish. There was a very soft knock at the door, so low that it didn't even disturb Louie. She walked over and peeked through the peep hole to make sure it wasn't Christian. Obviously she was nervous upon hearing he knew where they were. Once she saw it wasn't Christian she opened the door. "Hello" AJ said unsurely to the man

"Hi there" the man laughed nervously "Do you remember me?"

"Yes you're the waiter from the other night" AJ said with a smile

"Yes Javier" he smiled "I'm sorry to bother you I hope I didn't wake you"

"You didn't" AJ assured the man "Is everything ok? Was there a problem with the bill or something?" she couldn't think of any other reason for the man to be there.

"No, no not at all" Javier laughed "I felt terrible about spilling on your dress the other night" Javier told her

"Oh it's fine" AJ said with a wave of her hand "It was only water"

"I know but my boss was a little pissed off with me as well" Javier told her and AJ frowned

"I'm sorry I'll talk to him-" she started but he stopped her

"No I didn't get fired or anything but he did ask me to bring this over to you" Javier said handing her over a zipped up bag. One that you would get from a fancy dress shop.

"What is this?" AJ asked

"A new dress" Javier informed her

"I can't accept this" AJ said trying to pass the item back to him but he refused

"Orders of my boss" Javier said to her seriously "Please if I go back there with the dress he's going to really fire me" he laughed "He said you and your family are wonderful costumers to the resort and it was the least that we could do for you"

"This is very nice" AJ said forcing a smile. She hated to accept any kind of gift especially from a stranger practically but she also didn't want him to get in trouble. "Wow" she said looking over the red dress. It was a little more risqué than the one she had word so she knew Phil would have stroke if she ever wore it.

"Do you like it?" Javier asked hopefully "I picked it out myself. I'm not much of a dress shopper"

"It's lovely" AJ forced out and that's when Louie ran over and began to bark loudly "Louie its ok" she said to the dog but he wouldn't stop barking "He's usually not this bad with strangers I'm sorry"

"It's fine. Dogs usually love me" Javier said kneeling down "Hey boy" he said reaching to pet Louie but he growled and gritted his teeth.

"Louie!" AJ scolded "I am so sorry" she said to Javier feeling embarrassed by Louie

"It's ok" Javier smiled standing up straight "He's a good dog, protective"

"That he is" a voice said walking over to the door.

"Mr. Brooks" Javier smiled extending his hand but Punk just eyed the man. Clearly Punk wasn't a fan of being woken up by Louie and was less thrilled to see why Louie woke him.

"Why is he here?" Punk asked AJ ignoring the waiter he already hated

"He came to apologize about the dress and the restaurant provided me with a new one" AJ informed him nervously hoping he didn't bite poor Javier's head off or hers for that matter.

"How did you know we were staying here?" Punk asked looking Javier

"My boss told me" Javier told him "We're all in the same resort and he told me which house. He really wanted me to apologize"

"Over some spilt water two nights ago?" Punk asked unsurely "I don't want you to come around here and I don't want your boss telling people where we are staying" he spat and now AJ was nervous and took the dress from AJ and tossed it roughly to Javier "My wife doesn't need the dress"

"My boss insists she has this dress" Javier said standing his ground. He was talking about his boss just not his boss at the restaurant.

"Well I insist that you get out of here before I throw you out" Punk threatened

"Phil" AJ hissed looking over to him

"Or I can have my dog show you the way out" Punk said ignoring AJ

"I'm sorry to have bothered you guys" Javier said with a smile "It won't happen again. I'm very sorry" before AJ could respond Punk slammed the door shut.

"That was really rude" AJ said feeling embarrassed by his behavior "You should apologize"

"Apologize?" Punk mocked "The owner let some waiter know where we were staying. I spoke to the manager of the resort personally and he knows our issue with safety. I'm going to go down tothe restaurant and talk to the owner myself"

"Just leave it alone" AJ sighed "You made your point you scared the poor guy off"

"The poor guy who probably spilt water on you purposely so he had an excuse to put his hands on you?" Punk asked with a laugh "I'm going to be chatting with him again too"

"It's not like we're staying so how about we just leave it alone" AJ said to him

"Well we're not leaving right now" Punk said to her. "I don't know when we're leaving"

"Ok" she said quietly. He looked over to her and sighed slightly

"I know you didn't talk to Christian" Punk said to her and immediately eased her mind. "I'm sorry for snapping last night"

"It's ok" AJ said to him. She was just relieved he wasn't angry at her anymore.

"It's not ok" Punk disagreed "I get a little worked up whenever Christian is involved and I shouldn't have taken it out on you"

"You made good points" AJ said to him

"They weren't fair" Punk said softly "I know you're trying and to throw everything that has happened up in your face like that was low even for me. You don't do that to me even when I deserve it"

"Can we not talk about this again?" AJ asked hopefully

"Well I want to know how Christian knows we're here" Punk said to her

"A fan could have spotted us" AJ pointed out "And I spoke to Colt this morning and he spoke to Claudette who said he's still in Chicago. He's overseeing renovation on his new house actually"

"More work?" Punk mocked "What is he putting in now? Prison cells?"

"I do agree that it is odd he texted me at the same time we were discussing going home" AJ said to him

"Very odd" Punk said to her "Or a coincidence. There is no way that he knew what we were talking about at that moment in time."

"Maybe my phone really is bugged" AJ said giving it some thought

"Impossible" Punk said to her

"So what are we going to do?" AJ asked him

"We're going to try to enjoy being here until I can think of something else" Punk said to her

"I still think going home is a good idea" AJ said to him

"Can we not bring this up again?" Punk asked in a winey voice "I don't want to argue with you again and honestly I just want you to come up to bed because sleeping without you sucks"

"You seemed cozy up there by yourself" AJ said arching a brow

"I was lonely" he pouted "And you took over Quinn's room so I didn't have either of my girls last night"

"Yea you didn't miss me hogging the blankets or sleeping all over you?" AJ asked him with a laugh

"Actually when you steal the blankets I just pull you on top of me as a substitute and I warm right up" He replied smoothly

"Ok let's go to bed" AJ said grabbing his hand but before she could walk up the stairs he tugged her back to him

"I love you" he said very seriously as he gazed into her eyes "Don't doubt that for a second."

"Cliff ratted me out?" AJ asked surprised

"No I overheard you two" Punk admitted "I wouldn't get so worked up or upset like this if I didn't care and love you just know that. I know I haven't been easy to deal with this during this time and I can't promise it won't happen again but if he does just know that I actually do mean well"

"I know" she whispered "We've both kind of cracked a bit"

"And we both have to work on that because it's not just us" Punk reminded her seriously and she nodded

"Quinn needs to be our priority" AJ agreed knowing he felt the same and he nodded

"Which is why going home isn't possible right now" Punk told her gently. He knew how home sick she was and he hated telling her 'no' ever but he had to be strong.

"It's not like I'd bring her with me" AJ muttered then looked up at him smiled "But I do get it"

"Losing you to him isn't option for me our Quinn we both need you" Punk told her "But I will promise you this we will go home. I will bring you home when I know it's safe I swear to you AJ"

"That's good enough" AJ assured him kissing him softly

"Ok let's go back to bed and makeup" Punk said anxiously grabbing her hand and dragging her up the stairs but Quinn's cry halted them "No" Punk groaned

"Yes" AJ giggled "Sorry makeup session will have to wait" she smirked passing him on the stairs

"If it's not you it's her" Punk said looking at Louie who was at the bottom of the steps "You both hate me"

* * *

Javier was walking along the sunny streets of Hawaii and wandered over to a payphone. He waited a few moments and it began to ring.

"Hello?" Javier asked quietly

"Did she like it?" came the anxious voice of Christian Scott

"I think she did" Javier said nervously

"What aren't you telling me?" Christian asked him

"The husband showed up and tossed the dress at me" Javier admitted "I'm sorry boss"

"It was a gift and he threw it back in our faces?" Christian asked angrily

"Yea I really thought he was going to hit me" Javier said to him "He's pretty scary"

"There are scarier men that you don't want to disappoint or anger Javier" Christian warned him and Javier felt his stomach tighten

"I know sir" Javier said to him "But he was in my face and their dog was trying to get to me…I had to leave"

"I want her to have that dress" Christian informed him "You know this"

"I know" Javier said to him "I just don't think Punk is going to let her accept it."

"I don't care about Mr. Brooks" Christian said annoyed "April would have accepted the gift if he wasn't there. I want her to have it"

"I'll try again sir" Javier assured him

"Please do" Christian said in a professional manner "Because if she won't accept it from you I'll just have to down there and make her accept it. She used to have manners until she married that lowlife"

"I thought you coming to Hawaii was out of the question?" Javier asked

"It is. I can't really afford to make a spectacle of myself but I will if I have to" Christian informed him coolly "I'd hate to blow all my hard work I've made here in Chicago just to fly all the way to Chicago to teach April some manners"

"I'll take care of it sir" Javier told him confidently. Christian hung up once Javier assured him of that.

* * *

Later that day AJ was trying to calm a fussy Quinn while Punk also tried to help.

"I just don't know what's wrong with her?" AJ frowned trying to sooth her sobbing her daughter "I've fed her, changed her, burped her, played her favorite song- nothing!"

"Here let me see her" Punk said as AJ passed Quinn over to him

"Does she feel warm to you?" AJ asked fearfully. She watched as Punk placed the back of his hand gently against Quinn's forehead and frowned. "She does right? I thought so to"

"She does feel a little warm" Punk agreed

"Crying babies do nothing to help a hangover" Erica said tiredly as she entered the kitchen "What's wrong with her?"

"I think she's sick" AJ said to her "Her doctor isn't here! What are we going to do ?"

"I'm sure they have pediatricians on this island" Erica said mocking AJ's crazy tone

"The doctors out here don't know her" AJ said harshly to Erica

"What's her temperature?" Erica asked AJ

"I don't know" AJ said looking over to Punk who also shrugged while he tried to keep his grip on Quinn who was kicking and crying

"You don't have a thermometer do you?" Erica asked them

"No" AJ admitted then looked back to Punk "Maybe we can just take her to the hospital"

"Who's going to the hospital?" Cliff asked walking in the room

"Quinn is sick" AJ said fearfully and Cliff's face dropped

"What?" Cliff asked. His voice was laced with concern

"They don't know that" Erica said to him "We'll go to the store and get a thermometer" she told them "Hold off on the emergency room" she teased

"It's not funny" AJ scolded "She's obviously in pain or doesn't feel way." AJ walked over to Quinn and took her from Punk again "I wish you could just tell me where it hurts so I can fix it" she said looking at her crying daughter

"We'll be right back" Erica said grabbing Cliff and leading him out of the house.

After going to the store and taking Quinn's temperature it showed she was running a fever and nothing or no one could convince AJ to not rush right over the hospital which she did with Punk. AJ was so nervous while Punk tried to remain calm for her sake but he was also freaking out. He knew it was nothing serious but he did hate seeing his daughter so miserable.

"It's just what I thought" the friendly female doctor told them as she checked over Quinn "She has an ear infection"

"Oh my god" AJ said as if the doctor had given her the worst news in the world "Can you fix it? What caused it? Is she in pain? Does she have to stay here?"

"Yes, it's common in babies, not much just irritated and no" The doctor smirked answering all of AJ's questions in order

"Does she need antibiotics?" AJ asked the doctor as Punk just watched as AJ took charge "I read that you shouldn't give babies under six months antibiotics because that could cause them to build a resistance to it"

"You've done your homework" the doctor smiled "That is true and no Quinn's infection isn't that bad. You both caught it just in time. Infants acetaminophen or ibuprofen should do the trick" she told them

"Are you sure?" AJ asked in a very serious voice

"Yes but if nothing changes and she's still fussy in two days call me back and I'll look over her again but she's going to be just fine" the doctor said holding Quinn then passed her over to AJ

"Is there anything else we could do for her?" Punk asked "She seems so sad"

"Just make sure she's comfortable and rests" the doctor told him "Don't take her to the beach or into the pool"

"Ok" Punk said to her

"You both are doing just fine" the doctor smiled "I know your baby's first illness is scary but this is very common like I said and it was unavoidable. Other than the infection she's perfectly healthy and obviously she's a happy baby if you two picked up on her fussiness so quickly. You're doing everything right" she assured them

"Thank you for seeing us" AJ said to her

"No problem" The doctor said to them "And if I could be honest for a moment I see a lot of babies on a daily bases but never one quite as beautiful as your little girl. Have you two considered baby modeling?"

"Thank you but no, no" Punk said with a laugh "My daughter isn't going to model ever"

"What a shame" the doctor pouted playing with Quinn's face "Feel better princess"

* * *

While AJ and Punk were at the hospital Quinn Erica spent most of the time trying to calm Cliff down.

"Why haven't they called?" Cliff asked Erica

"She's fine because if she wasn't they would have called" Erica assured him "Just chill out"

"I will not" Cliff said quickly "She has a fever! She's only a baby what if something is very wrong?"

"She's a baby they get sick often" Erica told him with a shrug

"What if we got her sick?" Cliff asked feeling the guilt weighing on him

"How could we have gotten her sick?" Erica asked him annoyed

"We were last to watch her" Cliff reminded her "What if I didn't heat the bottle up right or gave her the wrong thing!"

"I think it's adorable how worried you are" Erica smirked "We did nothing wrong, April and Punk did nothing wrong it just happens."

"But-" Cliff started but stopped when Louie started barking at the door. Cliff walked over to the door and opened it and didn't recognize the man looking back at him. "Uh.." Cliff said waiting for the man with a huge smile to speak "Can I help you?" he asked eyeing the man as if he had ten heads

"Yes I'm looking for Ms. Mendez" Javier said bouncing on his heels

"Erica it's for you" Cliff said calling Erica but not leaving his spot at the door "What do you want with her?" he asked defensively

"Oh no I'm sorry I meant the other Ms. Mendez" Javier said to Erica and Cliff

"You mean AJ?" Cliff asked confused and Javier nodded

"She hasn't been Ms. Mendez in over a year" Erica informed the man coldly "She goes by Mrs. Brooks now"

"Of course" Javier said to them "I knew that too sorry"

"What do you want with her?" Cliff asked feeling slightly alarmed

"I'm sorry I'm Javier I work at the restaurant that she and her husband attended the other evening" Javier told them and both seemed to feel better by the response

"That doesn't explain why you're here" Erica pointed out folding her arms

"I spilt a drink on Mrs. Brooks and my boss wanted me to give her this as an apology" Javier said passing Erica over the dress

"How nice" Erica said taking the dress from his arms

"Really nice" Cliff agreed eyeing him "You're the one that tried to clean her up right?"

"Yes" Javier smiled "I felt terrible about it"

"Not as terrible as you're going to feel if Mr. Brooks sees you here" Erica snorted a laugh

"How did you know to find her here?" Cliff asked interrogating the man

"My boss told me where she was staying" Javier told him quickly "I mean no harm. I just wanted to drop the dress off and be on my way"

"She's not here right now" Erica said to him

"That's probably for the best" Javier said to her "Just tell her I hope she enjoys the dress I'm sure she'll look lovely in it"

"Ok" Erica said with a shrug and stepped into the house with the dress

"Hey you said your name was…" Cliff trailed off

"Javier" he said quickly

"Oh well Javier I'm sure you know that Mr. Brooks isn't going to be to keen on the idea of you showing up here like this knowing there safety issues and all" Cliff said with a laugh

"I would never tell a soul" Javier assured him seriously

"I'm sure you won't but if I find out you did it's not going to be just Punk you should be worried about" Cliff threatened but kept a friendly tone placing his arm around the man as he walked him towards his car. Cliff was still a wrestler and pretty intimidating, he could tell Javier was nervous "And if I find out you're sniffing around my best friend's wife I'll go down to that restaurant you're working in and I won't be there for the service even though I heard it's to die for" he said with a laugh. Javier just nodded his head

"Understood sir" Javier said

"Great" Cliff smiled as he watched Javier get into his car.

"Look at this dress!" Erica gushed holding up the red dress

"That's a dress?" Cliff mocked "It looks like a cut up piece of fabric"

"You're insane" Erica said to him "Punk is never going to let her wear this out in public"

"No he's not" Cliff agreed

"Maybe she'll give it to me" Erica said jumping up and down with excitement

"You're not wearing it either" Cliff said with a laugh

"Oh come on!" Erica argued as Cliff walked up the stairs "It's so cute!"


	81. 1100

**Chapter 81: $1100**

* * *

As soon as Punk and AJ arrived back with Quinn they gave her the medicine the doctor recommended and she did eventually fall asleep a few hours after.

"Maybe we should bring her in with us tonight" AJ suggested as she and Punk walked into their room

"I'm not moving her" Punk said seriously "If we move her she'll wake up and she'll be impossible to get back down. You heard the doctor she needs to sleep"

"Ok well I'm going to sleep in there tonight I just want to get changed" AJ said walking over to the closet

"You slept in their last night I'll do it tonight" Punk offered

"No I want to" AJ said to him "I don't think I'd be able to sleep in here anyway knowing she wasn't feeling good. You get some sleep" she said then pulled out the dress from her closet "Phil" she said slowly

"What?" he asked sitting on the bed looking over to her

"Did you buy me this dress?" AJ asked turning around with the dress that was hanging on a hanger

"What dress?" Punk asked seriously "That's not a dress. Dresses have a front and back that dress appears to have neither"

"Phil I'm serious" AJ said in an agitated tone

"No AJ I didn't you that dress" Punk said to her "What's wrong?"

"This looks just like the dress Javier bought over earlier today" AJ informed him as she inspected the dress "I didn't get a good look at it before but it does look like it" Punk mentally kicked himself. He meant to walk over the restaurant earlier and confront the owner about sending Javier to their place.

"Are you sure?" he asked standing up

"No but this isn't something I would buy" AJ said looking over the dress

"Maybe it's your sisters" Punk suggested

"It still has the tags on it" AJ said looking at "Holy crap that's an expensive dress"

"Who would pay $1100 for this?" Punk asked taking the dress from her "I'll ask Erica if it's hers"

"She's sleeping I don't want to bother her" AJ said taking the dress back and putting it in the closet "She probably did buy it and is just hiding it in here so Cliff doesn't see it"

"I don't blame her. I'm sure Cliff would be less than thrilled to see his girlfriend in something like that" Punk remarked moving back over to the bed

"It's a pretty dress" AJ defended lightly closing the closet door

"It's not a dress" Punk smirked

"You wouldn't like me in it?" AJ teased

"I'd love you in it" Punk said positively "Problem is a lot of men would like you in it and I wouldn't like that"

"It really does look like the dress Javier bought over" AJ said giving it some thought

"If Javier you bought my wife an $1100 skank dress I'm going to kick his face in" Punk said seriously

"He said his boss bought it or something like that" AJ said innocently "He just picked it out"

"Ok so I'm going to hit them both because no man should be spending money like that on you" Punk said to him "And why would they leave the price tag on it like that?"

"Maybe it really is Erica's" AJ shrugged

"If it's not I'm going to over to that restaurant and I'm going to strangle the owner and Javier with it" Punk threatened "So don't get too attached"

"It's not really my style" AJ admitted

"I should hope not" Punk said not removing his clothes but laying out on the bed. Quinn really drained them both today but as soon as he got comfortable and AJ just stepped into her pajamas Quinn's cries started up again.

"Oh no" AJ said with a sigh

"Finish what you were doing" Punk told her slowly getting out of the bed "I'll try to calm her down"

* * *

It was about eight in the morning and Punk and AJ couldn't sleep. Quinn had fallen asleep again but she kept waking up every half hour. They sipped on coffee at the table when they saw Erica and Cliff enter the kitchen.

"Good morning" Erica said in a cheery voice

"What are you two doing up so early?" AJ asked

"And why the hell are you both so happy?" Punk asked annoyed

"We had a wonderful evening" Erica sighed happily as she poured herself a cup of coffee

"The baby didn't keep you guys up?" AJ asked surprised

"Nope" Erica said happily

"We made our own noise but thankfully Quinn drowned out our sounds" Cliff smirked

"My daughter was crying sick down the hall and you two boned the entire night during that?" Punk asked disgusted

"It's an ear infection" Erica laughed "She'll be fine. I guarantee you she'll sleep most of today to make up for the last day"

"God I hope so" AJ muttered sipping on her coffee again then looked over to her sister "By the way I found a dress of yours in my closet last night"

"What dress?" Erica asked leaning against the counter sipping her coffee

"It's a red dress with the tags still on it" AJ told her

"Oh no that's your dress" Erica said and Punk turned to look at AJ

"Your dress?" Punk smirked towards her

"It's not my dress" AJ laughed "I would first of all never pay that much for a dress"

"Some guy bought it over for you last night" Erica said and Punk turned to look back towards her

"What guy?" Punk asked in a weary voice

"Relax yourself it was just that waiter- what was his name?" Erica asked Cliff

"Javier" Cliff added casually as he poured himself his own coffee

"Yea that's right Javier" Erica said to them "He said it was an apology from the restaurant for ruining your other dress"

"Really" Punk smirked bitterly and sipped his coffee

"What?" Erica asked "It's totally innocent I think that was nice of them"

"They only spilt water on the dress they didn't ruin it" AJ said then glared towards the real culprit who ruined her dress

"It has nothing to do with them being nice but I told that little shithead yesterday that you didn't want the dress and not to come to the house again" Punk said seriously

"He was here earlier?" Cliff asked surprised

"Yea he showed up first thing in the morning" Punk said to him "And I very politely told him the dress wasn't necessary and all was forgiven"

"That is not how you said it" AJ reminded

"That's the way I remember the conversation going" Punk said simply "Now I really do have to go over there"

"Cliff didn't like him" Erica told Punk "He tried to bully him too"

"What is wrong with you two?" AJ asked them

"He was a weirdo" Cliff said to her "I have a good sense about things like this"

"He wasn't weird" Erica said rolling her eyes "You both realize that men can be nice to women just to be nice. It doesn't mean there's a motive. I mean wouldn't you be more upset if this man was rude to April?"

"Yes and there's nothing wrong with being nice and respectful to AJ" Punk said lightly "But there is a problem when a man who doesn't know my wife picks out an $1100 dress that could barely fit a doll let alone a grown woman"

"In all fairness she is pretty tiny" Erica said gesturing towards AJ

"I didn't like him I'm with you" Cliff said to Punk

"Thank you Cliff" Punk said proudly

"I thought he was looking for Erica at first" Cliff told them "He came to the door asking for Ms. Mendez"

"Really?" Punk laughed "He called you Mrs. Brooks all night at the restaurant and now you're Ms. Mendez"

"Do you think he was a wrestling fan?" Erica asked

"I have no idea why?" AJ asked Erica with a yawn as she tried to stay awake

"It's just weird that he knew that was your maiden name" Erica shrugged "I mean you changed your name legally over to Brooks when you first got married right?"

"Yea I did" AJ said and now she found it weird herself

"Ok I'm just going to say what we're thinking" Cliff announced to the room "This guy works for Christian right?"

"That's a bit of a stretch" Erica said to him

"No, no he makes a good point" Punk said slowly piecing it together "He has the clearance to lurk around here without going noticed by all the security on the resort, he took quit the interest in AJ, he showed up here after I told him to get lost and he referred to AJ as Ms. Mendez. There's only one other person who won't acknowledge my marriage to AJ and that's Christian"

"Do you think he was in the house that night we were talking?" AJ asked alarmed

"No way Louie would have found him" Punk said to her

"Unless he snuck in and hid it in a closet or something" AJ pointed out

"We keep the windows open" Erica pointed out "He could have been listening outside"

"What are we going to do?" AJ asked Punk

"I'll take care of it" Punk said to her "I'd actually feel better knowing Javier was the spy because that means we know exactly who has been talking to Christian and we also know he's getting desperate with picking his little henchmen"

"So we're going to kick this guy's ass right?" Cliff asked already ready for a fight

"I'm going to the restaurant to talk to Javier and the owner you stay here with the girls" Punk told him

"How sexist are you?" Erica shot at him

"I don't want you three here alone" Punk said to her simply

"Well I don't want you confronting somebody who may or may not be working with Christian alone" AJ said seriously "Cliff should go with you"

"And who will be here with you?" Punk asked seriously

"Me" AJ said in a dangerous "I am a very tired woman and if anyone even knocks on the door and risks waking up my sick daughter I will rip their hearts out of their chest within a blink of an eye"

"I literally just got the chills" Cliff said rubbing his arm "Why are you so scary?"

"Ok fine" Punk said "Go get ready" he said to Cliff

"The restaurant isn't open yet" Cliff pointed out

"Well someone is going to come out and speak to me" Punk said standing up "Can you grab me that dress?" he asked AJ and she nodded

"You're really returning the dress?" Erica asked with a sad face

"Yes the dress is going back" Punk said to her

"But it's so pretty can't I just keep it?" she asked them

"No" AJ and Punk said at the same time

* * *

Once they got the restaurant it was closed but Punk banged at the door waiting for someone to answer it and sure enough there were people there preparing for the service later. The owner was not there but Punk demanded to speak to him and refused to leave until he showed and once they called the owner to let him know Punk was there he did arrive at the restaurant.

"…I assure you Mr. Brooks I had no idea Javier did this" the owner told him. "I didn't even know he spilt a drink onto Mrs. Brooks and I would never give him your location." He assured Punk as he passed Punk back over the dress "I know how important your privacy is"

"I want to see Javier" Punk said to him

"He didn't show up for work yesterday" the owner told him honestly "Didn't even call. If he does show up he's going to be fired"

"If he shows up call me before you fire him" Punk told him

"Of course and again I'm sorry about this" the owner said apologetically

"If I find out you're lying to me about any of this we're going to have a problem" Punk warned the man

"Mr. Brooks this is a misunderstanding and I don't know why Javier did this" The man told him "I do sometimes offer gifts to unsatisfied customers but nothing this expensive and I certainly wouldn't go the clothing route and even if I did I wouldn't approve this dress being given to one of my young married female customers"

"Ok" Punk said buying the man's story "And you'll call me if you see him?"

"Yes absolutely" the owner assured him shaking his hand "Please feel free to come down any night with your family and have dinner on us"

"Yea ok" Punk said to him

"Do you have his address?" Cliff asked "He must have filled out paperwork in order to work here right?"

"He did but it would be very illegal and highly unethical for me to give that kind of personal information out" the owner said nervously

"It was also highly unprofessional for one of your employees to go through your resorts files to find out where my friends were staying" Cliff countered with a simple shrug

"Give me a minute" the owner whispered and walked away

"Smart" Punk said proudly to Cliff

"I'm not all beauty" Cliff said to him seriously

"Right" Punk snorted. A moment later the owner came out and handed them a slip of paper

"You didn't get this from me" the owner said

"Thank you" Punk said to him seriously as he looked at the paper

* * *

Punk and Cliff walked back to the house and grabbed the car keys and headed over to the address given to them.

"Even the crappiest places out here are awesome" Cliff said in awe as they approached the door to the small shack like home. Punk knocked on the door and Javier swung it open, his face fell once he saw Punk and Cliff.

"Mr. Brooks-" Javier started

"What did I tell you?" Punk asked holding up the dress that was clenched into his fist

"I'm really sorry-" Javier started nervously "I just-"

"Shut up" Punk said pushing the man inside and Cliff followed

"I told you my boss wanted her to have it I really didn't think it was big deal" Javier defended nervously

"Really? Because I just spoke to your boss at the restaurant and he had no idea what I was talking about" Punk said to him and Javier remained quiet "Unless that wasn't the boss you were referring to"

"Ok you caught me" Javier said with a laugh but neither Punk nor Cliff seemed amused "I think your wife is very beautiful and just wanted to get her a gift. Obviously she's very happy and it was my mistake"

"How could you afford this dress?" Cliff asked him

"Good tips" Javier told him as if he was prepared for the question

"Oh really?" Punk laughed "You're the worst waiter I've ever had in my life I doubt you get tipped that good"

"I don't know what you want me to say" Javier said to him "I'm sorry"

"I want you to tell me you're working for Christian Scott" Punk said to him slowly getting in his face "Then I want you to tell me what he's up to"

"I don't know him" Javier said moving his eyes to the floor to avoid eye contact

"You not only suck at waiting but you suck at lying too" Punk spat annoyed and gripped the man but his collar "I'm not playing games here kid I'm running of patience very quickly and I want some fucking answers now!"

"Please don't hurt me" the man cried out

"Start talking or I'm going to start hitting" Punk smirked

"I've never even met him!" Javier cried out and Punk let him go "He contacted me and put money into my account. He wanted me to keep an eye on your wife"

"Why?" Punk asked

"I asked him but he told me I wasn't get paid to get asked questions" Javier said to him

"Is he coming here?" Punk questioned

"No" Javier said to him but Punk heard the uncertainty in his voice and slapped him in the face

"Are you sure?" Punk asked in a low voice

"He told me if she didn't take the dress that he would have to fly out here and teach her some manners but he really didn't want to because he said he has to stay in Chicago because he's been watched too closely" Javier told him honestly "But I told him she took the dress and thanked me and he feels a lot better"

"What should we do?" Cliff whispered to Punk

"Were you in my house?" Punk asked Javier ignoring Cliff's question

"No!" Javier said "There's way too many of you there"

"How did he know about a conversation AJ and I were having?" Punk asked

"I was listening- but outside!" Javier confessed and Punk slapped him again "I swear to you!"

"Do you have any idea what kind of damage you've caused my family?" Punk asked menacingly "Do you have any idea how much damage I can cause you…physically?"

"Jesus I swear! He's not coming here!" Javier assured him

"Call him" Punk said passing him the phone that was on the small table

"What do you want me to say?" Javier asked frantically

"First thing's first you need to calm down" Cliff said folding his arms leaning against the wall

"I can't" Javier said feeling himself about to cry "I just needed the money and he didn't give me much of a choice!"

"Javier who is this?" an older woman with a cane asked walking into the room

"Just some friend's grandma" Javier said to her and walked over to her "You're supposed to be in bed"

"I heard yelling" the older woman said then coughed into a tissue that was already in her hand

"We were just talking loud" Javier assured her "Come on I'll put you back in bed" Punk and Cliff watched as Javier helped the elderly woman back into her room

"Crap" Punk muttered

"What now?" Cliff asked him. Javier walked out of the room and back over to Punk and Cliff

"If you're going to kill me please don't do it in the house" Javier pleaded "She's sick as it is and I'm all she has. She'll be devastated if she found me"

"I'm not going to kill you" Punk said annoyed at the thought "Do I look like a killer to you?"

"Well…" Javier started but Punk widened his eyes "… no of course not" he said quickly

"You don't work for Christian Scott anymore" Punk informed him

"Ok" Javier said to him

"You work for me" Punk told him

"You're going to pay me what Mr. Scott does?" Javier asked

"I'm not paying you shit" Punk spat "You're going to call Christian Scott right here in front of me and tell him AJ told you we're leaving"

"I can do that" Javier said to him

"Call from Cliff's phone" Punk said to him as he snatched his phone away from Javier

"I don't know the number by heart" Javier admitted and Punk simply smiled and passed him back his phone

"OK use your phone then" Punk said to him calmly "Tell him that AJ mentioned Canada but that's all you know"

"He's going to ask why you're leaving" Javier said to them "He always wants the detail"

"Tell him you overheard AJ saying she just didn't feel safe here anymore" Punk told him

"He's going to ask about you" Javier said to him "He always asks about you"

"Tell him I picked Canada" Punk said with a shrug "That I have a few friends there that are going to help hide us"

"Ok" Javier said nervously

"Put the phone on speaker" Punk warned as Javier hit the 'send' button and then quickly hit 'speaker'

"This better be important" Christian answered after one ring

"It is" Javier said to him "April came by the restaurant to thank for the dress"

"So she did like it?" Christian asked in a very happy voice

"She loved it" Javier told him

"Was she wearing it?" Christian asked anxiously "How did she look? Did you get a picture?"

"No she wasn't alone" Javier told him

"Was that lowlife with her?" Christian asked in a disgusted voice

"Yea her husband was there" Javier said nervously looking over to Punk who just rolled his eyes at the nickname "She told me something you should know"

"What's that?" Christian asked calmly

"She's leaving Hawaii" Javier said to him

"Oh really" Christian said to him "She's coming back home to me so soon? I haven't even finished her new room yet"

"No she mentioned Canada" Javier said to him

"She told you she was going to Canada? She's leaving the country?" Christian questioned

"Yes. I heard her husband mention something about some friends he has there" Javier said to him

"They can't leave" Christian said to him

"They are though" Javier told him "Tonight I believe" Punk nodded in approval

"You need to stop her" Christian instructed

"How?" Javier asked

"Take her" Christian said casually as if it was a rational response

"Take her where?" Javier asked alarmed. This wasn't what he signed up for

"I don't know back to your place keep her locked away and I'll send for her" Christian said to him

"I don't know if I can do that" Javier admitted

"Ok so then take the kid" Christian said to him and Punk could feel his entire body burn up and tried to keep his anger contained

"I'm not a kidnapper" Javier said to him

"You're whatever I pay you to be" Christian shot at him "I can't let her out of the country! She can't leave the country if she doesn't have her daughter!"

"What would I do with her?" Javier asked

"I don't really care" Christian said coldly "Keep her, sell her, bring her to a shelter, trade her in for a car for all I care- it's not my problem but make sure she doesn't find her"

"I'll see what I can do" Javier said noticing Punk and even Cliff's red face

"I want results" Christian told him "If she gets out of the country you're dead" and the line went dead.

"Phil-" Cliff started but Punk took the phone and threw into the wall in anger causing it to break into pieces

"I didn't know he was like that" Javier said to him "I wouldn't hurt a child or a woman- or really anyone for that matter"

"Shut up" Punk spat at him "I'm going to give you some cash and you're going to take your grandmother and get out of town before he finds out didn't complete the job and sends someone to kill you"

"Thank you so much" Javier said with relief

"Don't thank me" Punk warned "I want to throw you threw that wall and I still might"

"Dude" Cliff said to Punk "What he said about Quinn-"

"I heard it Cliff!" Punk yelled

"If Javier doesn't do it he'll just send someone else to do it" Cliff said to him "What the hell are we going to do?"

"This is my daughter's life he's now threatening" Punk said to him "I should have let AJ buy that gun and blow his crazy ass away"

"Well it's a little late for that" Cliff said to him "We need a plan. We have to get out of here"

"We are getting out of here" Punk said to him

"Where are we going? Obviously not Canada" Cliff said to him

"We're going home" Punk said quietly so Javier couldn't hear

"To Chicago?" Cliff asked surprised

"AJ was right this has to end" Punk said to him "And we can't just run forever because obviously he always finds a way. We need to face this head on and we can't do that miles apart"

"Claudette wants to use AJ to get to him" Cliff reminded him

"I'm running out of options Cliff" Punk said to him

"You're really going to let AJ set him up?" Cliff asked

"I don't know! All I know is this guy is going to try to use Quinn against us" Punk said horrified "My innocent newborn daughter. I need to talk to AJ and try to figure this out"

"Whatever you decide I'm in" Cliff said to him seriously

"I know" Punk said quietly.

* * *

**A/N: So is Punk really going to let AJ set up Christian and risk her own safety to protect Quinn? Are they really going home? Stay tuned...**


	82. Leaving You

**Chapter 82: Leaving You**

* * *

Punk and Cliff arrived back at the resort a few hours later and found Erica in the living room.

"Hey how did it go?" Erica asked them

"Where's AJ?" Punk asked ignoring her own question

"In Quinn's room she was up again I think she just got her back down" Erica told him and watched as he slowly walked up the stairs "So I'm guessing it didn't go well"

"No not really" Cliff sighed taking a seat with his girlfriend

Punk looked into Quinn's room and saw her sleeping in her crib with no AJ in sight. He smiled looking down at his peaceful daughter and his heart broke. He felt like he was literally picking between the two most important people in his life.

"Hey" AJ whispered and waved him out of the room, he followed her into their room and closed the door behind him "How did it go? Is he working for Christian?"

"Yea" Punk sighed taking a seat on the bed "Well he doesn't work for Christian anymore"

"What does that mean?" AJ asked folding her arms "What's wrong? You seem sad"

"I had him call Christian and tell him we were leaving Hawaii" Punk started "I told him to tell him we were going to Canada"

"That was a good idea" AJ said forcing a smile

"He doesn't want you out of the country" Punk said looking up at her "I'm assuming because he's on probation and can't leave the country without having to stay on the run again"

"Oh well he can't control what we do" AJ said to him "Relax"

"He told Javier to take you" Punk said looking at her with sad eyes

"Well obviously that's not going to happen" AJ smirked

"Then he suggested he take Quinn" Punk told her and that's when AJ's face fell. "He wanted him to take her and get rid of her"

"You mean…" AJ couldn't even formulate the words "…kill her?"

"He didn't use those exact words but it was implied" Punk said softly "I took Javier and his grandmother to the bus station and got them out of town but it doesn't mean he's going to stop. He's got other people willing to do his dirty work"

"We have to hide Quinn" AJ said to him fearfully "We need to make sure he can't get to her Phil!"

"I think we need to go back to Chicago" Punk told her

"Play right into his hands?" AJ asked him "Are you sure?"

"We need to sit down with Claudette" Punk said to her "We have to formulate some sort of plan"

"Her plan is to use me to set up Christian" AJ reminded him "Are you ok with that?"

"No" Punk said honestly "But I'm out of ideas. We can't shake this guy"

"I'll do it" AJ said to him seriously "You know I'll do anything to keep her safe"

"I know" Punk said softly as AJ walked over to him and took a seat on his lap

"I'll be ok" AJ promised kissing his chin

"I hate this" Punk admitted "I feel like I'm sacrificing one for the other"

"You're not" AJ said to him looking at him and making him look at her "This is the right thing and it would have come down to this regardless"

"It just feels like the end" Punk said to her

"It's not it's just the start" AJ smiled "Once Christian is gone we can live in peace finally. We've never had that" she reminded him

"What if takes you away?" Punk asked almost holding back tears "I can't-"

"I'd always come back to you" AJ said with a smile "We don't even know what this plan is I'll call her and we'll talk about it"

"Don't call her right now" Punk said stopping her from getting up "I bought us some time I just want to be here with you"

"Ok" she smiled kissing his lips sweetly "It's going to be ok" she reassured

"It feels wrong" Punk admitted "I know what she wants you to do, to go to him and bait him…it's so wrong. I've spent every day that I've known you trying to keep you away from him and now I'm handing you over to him"

"I know Christian" AJ reminded him "I know how he thinks and works. I'm the best person to do this"

"I want to go with you" Punk told her "I want Claudette to think of a way to use us both"

"It's not going to happen" AJ said to him "He doesn't trust you and you need to be with Quinn and keep her safe just in case"

"I need you safe" Punk reminded her

"Quinn is our priority" AJ reminded him "I'll be fine. I've told you for two years now that I can take care of myself that I'm strong enough to fight him on my own. You've done a great job protecting me all this time but this is my fight it always has been"

"I know you're strong" Punk said forcing a smile "You scare the crap at of me sometimes" he teased lightly

"And don't you forget it" AJ smirked as he pulled her into a kiss

* * *

The next day AJ and Punk were in contact with Claudette and she think they came up with a good plan one involving the FBI as well so Punk felt more at ease that it wasn't just local police involved in this. But he really wasn't a fan of the rest of it.

"I've changed my mind" Punk said to her as she zipped up her luggage "Let's just go right now"

"Go where?" AJ asked him

"Anywhere! Greece, Mexico, Alaska, Australia…" Punk trailed off "Anywhere but here or Chicago"

"We've discussed this" AJ reminded him

"I thought I'd get to go with you" Punk said to her "I hate that she won't let me go back with you"

"You heard her" AJ said to him "It's dangerous that Quinn was mentioned you two need to stay here and besides he'd never believe I left you if you came back with me"

"The FBI is here" Punk argued "She'll be safe"

"She needs her dad" AJ said to him "I know she'll be safe with you and I won't be able to concentrate on what I have to do if I don't think she's in good hands"

"What about me?" Punk asked her "What am I supposed to do?"

"Claudette will be in touch" AJ said to him

"I didn't think they wouldn't let me at least go to Chicago with you" Punk sighed

"It's the right thing" AJ argued lightly

"Seriously let's forget this" Punk practically begged

"Last night you told me this was the only way" she reminded him

"And like I just told you now I've changed my mind" Punk spat

"This isn't going to take long" AJ assured him "And the next time we see each other everything will be over and we'll be back in our home with our daughter"

"If something doesn't feel right you need to tell Claudette" Punk told her seriously "Don't be a hero AJ"

"Ok" she said to him "Help me bring my bag down?" she asked him and he nodded and grabbed her bag "Please try not to take your frustrations out on Erica or Cliff" AJ pleaded lightly as they walked down the steps "I know this isn't going to be easy but they're here to help you as well"

"Whatever" Punk muttered

"Quinn needs you to be strong" AJ reminded him and he just nodded

"Someone wants to say goodbye to mommy" Erica smiled holding Quinn and walking over to her

"Bye Queen" AJ squealed kissing her daughter's head "Mommy loves you so much and I'll see you in a few days" she felt herself start to cry. She was going to miss Quinn more than anything.

"Be careful" Erica said to her seriously pulling her into a half hug while she still held onto Quinn

"Take care of them" AJ whispered to her "Both of them" she said referring to Quinn and Punk

"Of course" Erica promised then AJ turned to Louie who was also waiting for some attention

"Bye Louie" AJ smiled kneeling down and kissing the top his head "Keep everyone safe" she smiled

"Do I get a hug?" Cliff asked and AJ walked over and wrapped her arms around him "Be safe. I know you can do this"

"If I can't you need to look out for my family" AJ whispered into his ear "All of them, understand?"

"That won't happen" Cliff smiled pulling away

"Please Cliff" AJ pleaded lightly

"Ok" Cliff said quietly

"Mrs. Brooks we'll be in the car" the agent said grabbing her bag from Punk but he wouldn't let it go

"Phil" AJ scolded lightly and he reluctantly let go of the bag

"Stay" Punk said as she was ready to say her last goodbye

"We'll have all of the time in the world once this is done" AJ assured him kissing him. She went to pull away but he instead pulled her deeper into his kiss and held her body tight against his.

"I love you" she whispered against his lips kissing his lips one last final time

"I love you" he said in a firmer voice than hers. She blew Quinn one last kiss and then walked out the door. Quinn started to cry immediately at the sight of her mother leaving.

"Here you go dad" Erica said passing Quinn over to him. She knew Punk needed her more than anything right now.

"Yea I feel ya kid" Punk said to Quinn

* * *

Once AJ arrived back in Chicago she met with Claudette at the airport.

"Mrs. Brooks" Claudette said shaking her hand "Welcome home"

"Thanks I just wish it was under better circumstances" AJ admitted

"I feel the same" Claudette said to her

"So how did the FBI get involved in this?" AJ asked her

"We picked up Javier once I spoke to your husband and we took a statement from him but it's not enough to lock him back up for good. We need to make sure no one does this man any favors ever again" Claudette told her

"You'd think stabbing a woman in a bathroom would have done that already" AJ muttered

"Society is a funny thing" Claudette shrugged "Look at OJ Simpson for example. When he was arrested for the murder of his wife and her friend the people clamored around home and demanded his release even though everyone knew he was guilty. Once he was released and some time passed people demanded he be locked back up and he has been over something as stupid as robbery"

"I guess" AJ shrugged

"Trust me with the FBI on board all of those friends Mr. Scott had before aren't going to be so willing to help him" Claudette assured her

"Isn't this entrapment?" AJ asked "Can't he just get off easily?"

"We're not entrapping him" Claudette said to her "You're going to him to confess to his crimes not force him to commit them"

"Ok" AJ said unsurely "Do you really think he's going to buy this?"

"According to my sources Christian is cracking" Claudette told her "That works to our advantage but also could make things dangerous for you"

"I can handle him" AJ said to her

"I know you can" Claudette said to her "It's important that you stay focused and not fall for his mind games"

"My daughter and husband are my focus there's no way I'll forget that" AJ said seriously

"I'm sorry it has come to do this April I really am" Claudette frowned

"What crimes am I going to get him to confess to?" AJ questioned "I mean he's already done time for stabbing me it's not like that even matters"

"I was thinking along the lines of Drew Keith" Claudette said to her and AJ frowned. The Detective sacrificed his life trying to help AJ and Punk. "He never admitted to it"

"I know" AJ said quietly

"His mother deserves closure" Claudette told her

"She does and she'll get it" AJ promised "He was a really good man."

"He wanted Christian locked up more than anyone" Claudette reminded her and she nodded

"For killing his sister" AJ said softly. "He took away two children from one mother" she frowned

"It feels differently when you have your own doesn't it?" Claudette asked and AJ nodded

"I'm ready" AJ said to her strongly

* * *

Punk was in Quinn's room holding her while she slept against his chest. AJ was gone for hours and he was missing her as if he hadn't seen her days. He wasn't able to talk to her either and he already knew he wasn't going to make it.

"You can put her in the crib you know" Cliff smirked stepping into the room

"I don't want to let her go" Punk admitted "If I put her down I know I'm going to run right out the door and after AJ"

"It's the only way" Cliff reminded him

"Is it though?" Punk questioned "I jumped the gun when I heard Christian talk about Quinn and now I sent my wife right into his arms to distract him"

"That's not what happened" Cliff argued

"It is" Punk shot back "It was either Quinn or AJ and I picked Quinn"

"It's not like AJ is going to die" Cliff reminded him

"You don't know that" Punk said to him

"She wouldn't have gone if she felt that way" Cliff pointed out

"She would do anything to protect Quinn" Punk said to him

"Just like you" Cliff said to him "You both are doing the right thing here"

"I hate being apart from her and I hate not knowing what's going on" Punk groaned "I'm so scared" he admitted

"It'll be fine" Cliff said to him

"You don't know that" Punk said to him shaking his head "I feel like I did the wrong thing. I shouldn't be here I should be with her"

"You can't help" Cliff said to him "And what about Quinn?"

"I love her so much and I owe it to her to make sure her mother is going to be ok" Punk told him standing up and placing Quinn in her crib "And I know you'd give your life for hers"

"Of course" Cliff said oddly

"I need you and Erica to stay with her" Punk said walking out of the room and across the hall to his own while Cliff followed

"Where are you going?" Cliff asked as he watched Punk grab a duffle bag and began to throw clothes into it

"Chicago" Punk said to him

"The FBI is outside" Cliff pointed out "They told you to stay here"

"I don't give a damn!" Punk yelled "I'm going back to Chicago to help my wife"

"You can't just leave" Cliff argued

"Sure I can" Punk said as he rushed around the room and grabbed his passport "You know I have to be there for her. We can't trust the police and I can't leave her on her own"

"I'll go then" Cliff volunteered "You stay here"

"No I'll go and you stay here with Quinn. Promise me you'll take care of her" Punk said to him

"Of course I will" Cliff sighed giving in

"I also need you to help sneak me out" Punk told him and Cliff groaned

"How am I going to do that?" Cliff asked him

"We distract them" Erica said walking into the room "Go home and make sure my sister is safe"

"I will" Punk assured her

"You're ok with this?" Cliff asked her

"April at least needs a support system. The police just want their guy and they don't give a damn about her. I know Punk will make sure she's safe" Erica said to Cliff "Right?" she asked now looking towards Punk

"Of course" Punk said to her

"We'll take good care of Quinn" Erica assured him "You can't put that out of your mind just worry about April"

"Ok" Punk said to her "You're on board here right Cliff?"

"Of course" Cliff said to him "I'll help anyway I can"

"Thank you" Punk said to him "And if anyone that doesn't have a badge tries to get in here-"

"I'll kill them" Cliff said seriously and Punk just scrunched his face

"Or just not let them in" Punk suggested with a shrug "Whatever works for ya"

"Way to be dramatic" Erica muttered towards Cliff

"This is a very tense situation" Cliff defended "I'm not sure how to react"

"I know and I know what I'm asking of you both isn't fair" Punk said to them

"We're family" Cliff said to him "You're my brother I'd do anything for you"

"I know" Punk said with a smile "Thank you- both of you"

"Just hurry up and get back to Chicago" Erica encouraged

* * *

AJ pulled up in front of the hotel Christian was staying in and glanced towards it before taking her car key out of the ignition and stepping out of the car. The weather in Chicago was cold and windy nothing like Hawaii. She glanced down at her phone and looked at the wallpaper and it was a picture of Punk holding Quinn while both were sleeping- this was her motivation. She wished she could just call Punk and tell him how much she was missing him and loved him but that wasn't possible. Claudette was very clear about her having contact with him. She owed this to her daughter who would surely be a pawn in Christian's game she also owed this to her husband who sacrificed a job he loved and even his own sanity and she owed it to Drew Keith. She was going to right all the wrongs Christian made in his quest to hurt her.

She walked inside and kept her hood up until she reached the elevator and hit the 17th floor. She pulled her hood down and felt her knees start to shake. She was nervous about how he would react seeing her and even afraid he would just finish the job he started at the police station but she already accepted all of these outcomes. She slowly walked down the hall and stopped outside of his room and knocked lightly twice. Part of her hoped he wouldn't answer the other part of her just wanted this to be done and over with.

The door opened slowly and AJ recognized the man standing in front of her. It was Pete Cryer. The man who took the fall for the Christian last year.

"April" Pete said slowly "Mr. Scott will be thrilled to see you"

"Is he here?" AJ asked him "I really want to talk to him not you" it came off as cold but Pete expected it. The last time AJ saw Pete he was beating her with a belt in her hotel room.

"Mr. Scott you have a visitor" Pete shouted calling over his shoulder

"Who is it?" Christian asked walking to the door and froze upon seeing AJ.

"I'll leave you two alone" Pete said excusing himself

"My god" Christian said with tears in his eyes. It was as if AJ had come from the dead "You're really here" he said as he gently reached out to her brush his fingers over her cheek. It took all of her strength not to flinch

"I'm home" AJ forced out

"You really are" Christian said with a smile as a tear rolled down his cheek. He stepped closer to AJ and cupped her cheek as he pulled her into a kiss.


	83. Burns

**A/N: Thanks so much to all of those awesome reviews! Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 83: Burns**

* * *

Punk was glancing out the airplane window anxiously waiting to land. He hated being out of the loop like this. With the help of Cliff and Erica he snuck out the back of the resort and hailed a cab to the airport. But now he was feeling guilty for leaving Quinn behind. It was a lose/lose for Punk. But at least he knew Quinn was with good people, Erica and Cliff loved Quinn and the FBI was parked outside the resort while AJ was on her own. He kept weighing his options and eventually decided he was doing the right thing. AJ needed him and that's where he was going to be.

"Pretty family" an elderly woman said snapping Punk from his thoughts. He hadn't even realized he was looking at a photo of AJ and Quinn on his cellphone.

"Yea" Punk said with a soft smile looking down at the photo.

"You're a lucky man" the woman smiled

"I know" Punk said gently "They're great"

"Are you on your way home to them now?" the woman questioned

"Sort of" Punk said honestly. He wasn't sure what he would call it.

"Well enjoy the little one while she's still young because before you know it they grow up" the woman told him and he just nodded politely "How old is she?"

"Just five months" Punk told her

"She looks like your wife" the woman said looking at the photo

"She's beautiful just like her mom" Punk agreed

"How long have you been married?" the woman asked curiously

"Over a year" Punk said to her

"Young love" the woman smiled "My husband and I were married for forty two years this year"

"Congratulations" Punk said to her "He's not traveling with you?"

"No" she smiled "He passed eleven years ago" the woman admitted "I still go to Hawaii every year on our anniversary"

"Alone?" Punk asked surprised

"I'm never alone" the woman assured him "I take him with me" she said placing her hand over her heart Punk just smiled towards the woman and once the conversation was over his thoughts went back to his wife and began to wonder what she was doing at the very moment..

* * *

AJ was sitting on the couch when Christian walked over with a cup tea.

"Just the way you like it" Christian said giving it to her eagerly

"Thank you" she said softly sipping on it

"April what are you doing here?" Christian finally asked

"I thought you wanted me to come home" AJ said with a shrug

"I've wanted you home since the day you walked into my office and left me" Christian admitted "Did something happen with Phillip?"

"We had a fight" AJ told him "And then I realized I didn't want that life anymore"

"What about Quinn?" Christian questioned. The sound of her daughter's name coming out of his mouth made her sick

"What about her?" AJ asked him

"You just left her behind?" Christian asked surprised

"When I look at her all I see is Phil" AJ admitted "She's a constant reminder of my mistake"

"I understand that" Christian smiled warmly "You're going to miss her"

"I will" AJ nodded in agreement

"I can give you a child" Christian suggested "One that will remind you of me, what do you say?" he asked tucking her hair behind her ear causing her to cringe slightly

"Not right now" AJ said placing the tea on the coffee table "I don't want a child right now I want to focus on us"

"Wonderful" Christian said placing his free hand on her knee and kissing her cheek "We have a lot of time to make up for" he said as he ran his other hand under her t-shirt but she quickly jerked away surprising him

"I had a really long flight" AJ said standing up

"It's been too long" Christian said standing up as well

"I know" she whispered "It's just…" she trailed off trying to think of an excuse "I'm on my period so we couldn't anyway" she lied hoping Christian wouldn't pick up on it

"Oh" Christian said to her "Well I suppose I've waited two years I can wait another few days"

"Great" AJ said to him walking towards the door

"Where are you going?" Christian asked her

"I don't want Phil to know that I'm here" AJ lied "He's still in Hawaii with Quinn so I want to go back to the house while I still can"

"Alright" Christian said to her "But not right now" he said to her as he removed her jacket

"I already told you I can't" AJ said more firmer

"Oh no sweet angel" Christian smiled cupping her cheek "This isn't about pleasure. You left me"

"I'm back though" AJ said nervously knowing where this was going

"Yes but that doesn't mean your time away doesn't go unpunished" Christian said with a frown

"Please Christian" AJ said softly placing her hands on his chest "Don't do this again. This isn't the man I fell in love with or missed"

"It won't hurt much April" Christian promised

"Last time you beat me with a belt" AJ reminded him

"April I would never leave you in that state again" Christian assured her "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course" she choked out holding back tears

"Come on my love" he said taking her small hand into his much larger once "We're ready Mr. Cryer!"

* * *

Punk arrived at his home and noticed all the lights were off. Once he turned them on he saw AJ's bags by the door and realized he must have missed her. He really wanted to see her before she went off to see Christian.

"Took you long enough" a voice said starling him. He turned around and saw Detective Claudette Williams standing in his home.

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked her

"I could ask you the same thing" Claudette said to him "I thought I told you to stay in Hawaii"

"I don't listen to you" Punk shot at her "Where is my wife?"

"She's meeting Mr. Scott" Claudette informed him

"By herself?" Punk asked alarmed

"The FBI is there" Claudette told him

"Is she wearing a wire?" Punk asked "How are they going to know if she's in trouble?"

"No wire" Claudette said to him carefully "We need him to trust her, he might look for one tonight"

"When is she coming back?" Punk asked "She is coming back right?"

"You're going to blow this" Claudette said to him "If he finds out you're here it's all over"

"He doesn't have people watching this empty house" Punk said to her "Besides he's too distracted with having AJ back right now"

"She's due back shortly" Claudette told him "That was the original plan anyway"

"What do you mean by that?" Punk demanded

"Plans change" Claudette told him simply

"Did something happen?" Punk asked fearfully

"No Mr. Brooks but she was supposed to have left by now" Claudette told him honestly

"So go get her!" Punk yelled but Claudette's phone rang and she spoke for a few seconds "Was it AJ?"

"She's on her way back now. The agents watching her saw her getting into her car" Claudette said to him "You need to be gone before she gets back"

"I'm not going anywhere until I see my wife" Punk said to her "I came back here to be with her"

"And distract her?" Claudette asked him "Talk her out of this?"

"No" Punk told her honestly "To support her and help her" he said to her "She needs me"

"I know you're scared" Claudette sympathized "I don't blame you but I swear to you it's almost over. But if you get involved with this you can blow it"

"I won't let everything AJ is doing be in vain" Punk told her "I just want to be here" Claudette just nodded and grabbed her jacket

"You're leaving?" Punk asked

"I'm not supposed to be here either but I got a call you got on a flight back to Chicago so I came here knowing you would be stopping by" Claudette said to him "I told my superiors I would make sure you left"

"I'm not leaving" Punk said to her simply

"I know" Claudette frowned "But stay hidden because if you blow this you won't only ruin our last chance to get Christian but it could cost your wife everything she's working for" she then walked out of house.

* * *

AJ pulled up about half hour later and looked into the rearview mirror and saw how puffy and red her eyes were, cheeks stained with her tears. She wasn't sure if she was crying because of all the physical pain she was in or because she knew she was returning to an empty home. Nobody would be there to dry her eyes for her but this was what she signed up for and had to be strong. As she stepped out of the car and her foot hit the ground she hissed in pain and again when her other feet hit the ground as well. Her last punishment was a lot more painful but this still hurt as well, she slowly limped up the steps and unlocked her front door and stepped inside. She noticed the lights were off and as she reached for the switch she felt a hand wrap around her mouth and she froze in fear.

"Don't scream it's me" Punk's voice whispered into her ear. He had to hide inside just in case Christian followed her home. He slowly let go of her and she turned around.

"Phil what are you doing here?" AJ asked him "Where is Quinn?"

"She's with Cliff and Erica in Hawaii" Punk told her "She's safe the FBI is there"

"You shouldn't be here" She cried out

"What happened?" he asked her with a frown "Did he hurt you AJ?"

"I'm fine" she said pulling away from him "But you're just making this harder for me. Now that I see you here I never want to go back"

"So don't" Punk said to her

"It's going to work" AJ said to him "I know this plan is going to work" she argued

"What did he do to you?" Punk asked her softly trying to sooth her with sound of his voice as he stepped closer to her. She was transported back to the last time he asked her that. It was like she had become the girl she so desperately hated, the weak little girl that ran to her lover Phil every time something went wrong.

"I can't do this with you" AJ cried.

"Please baby" he begged kissing her cheek "Let me in"

"I'm ok" she said feeling herself relax into his touch

"Show me" Punk insisted

"Show you what?" AJ asked questioned looking into his own glassy eyes

"Where it hurts" Punk knew AJ was in pain and not just emotional

"My feet" she admitted shamefully

"Your little dainty baby feet?" he teased lightly causing her to smile. He always made fun of how small her feet were

"He didn't do anything else" AJ assured him "I would let him touch me like that"

"I know" Punk said lifting her up bridal style and carrying her upstairs. He placed her down on their bed and she was thankfully to be off of her feet. She removed her jacket while he lifted her legs over his and slowly untied her shoes

"It's ok Phil" she told him but he just took her shoes off and slid off her socks. He didn't see anything until he looked at the bottom of her feet and that's when he saw it.

"How did he do it?" Punk asked gently

"He didn't do it all" AJ told him as he ran his hand over the marks and she hissed "His buddy Pete did"

"He always does Christian's dirty work" Punk said bitterly "How?"

"Cigarette" she said softly. Christian held AJ down while Pete left burn marks on the sole of her feet. "He told me I'll think twice next time I want to walk away from him" she admitted

"I'll clean you up" Punk said removing himself from her and walking out of the room. He was back a few minutes later with aloe for the burns and bandages.

"You don't have to" AJ said to him but he just ignored her

"Did you tell the police?" Punk asked her "The first night your back and he's already scarred you"

"Not yet but I will" AJ said to him "It's very secretive what we're doing. We have set meetings"

"What kind of protection are you getting?" Punk asked annoyed as he cleaned her feet "They just let him do that?"

"The FBI were in the next room and if they heard anything they were supposed to come but they didn't hear anything" AJ told him and he looked up to her

"You didn't scream?" Punk asked not buying it

"I did but he gagged me" AJ admitted "He put a rag in my mouth and held my face against his chest while Pete did this. Nobody heard me"

"I hate this" Punk said to her shaking his head "It's only been a few hours and you're already hurt"

"I was expecting it Phil" AJ told him "He's not going to do this every time. I'm actually surprised he even let me leave. He wanted me to stay the night"

"I'm sure he did" Punk said as he wrapped her foot up

"I told him I had my period so that should hold me off for a bit" AJ said to him

"I'm surprised he didn't follow you into the bathroom" he said annoyed as he wrapped her other foot now "Does that feel better?"

"Yes" AJ said with a smile "Thank you. But you really do need to go back now"

"I'm not leaving AJ" Punk said to her "I know Quinn is safe and now I'm going to make sure you are"

"I'm not going to be around much" AJ said to him "I'm meeting him tomorrow morning" she informed him "He's taking me to the house"

"He's never going to let you out of there" Punk said fearfully "You can't go"

"The FBI is going to be there" AJ said to him

"Are they going to be as helpful as they usually are?" Punk mocked

"It's safer there actually" AJ said to him "When Cliff and Colt told Claudette about the house she got a warrant to have it bugged. It's actually better that I'm there then his hotel room"

"Did he uh- mention Quinn at all?" Punk asked her

"He did" AJ said to him "Only once. He wanted to know if I was ok with leaving her behind and I told him I was. I feel like the worst mother on the planet"

"You're doing this to protect your child." Punk reminded her "He's the only one who would believe that"

"I told him she reminded me too much of you" AJ smirked "I miss her so much" she sighed sadly

"I know I do too" Punk said to her "But we just have to remember after this we'll never have to leave her side again"

"That's what's keeping me going" AJ said to him

"So he just bought that?" Punk asked her and she nodded

"He offered to give me a child" AJ said to him and she felt his body tense up "One that would remind me of him"

"I fucking hate this guy so much" Punk groaned

"Me too" AJ said to him "The thought of him touching me like that again makes me sick to my stomach"

"Don't let him" Punk said to her and she nodded "I don't care if it helps or not do not put yourself in a position like that"

"I already told you how I'm avoiding it" AJ said to him

"I'm surprised he doesn't know your menstrual cycle actually" Punk remarked bitterly

"Ew Phil" AJ smirked falling back on the bed and looking up at the ceiling.

"Are you sure you're really ok?" Punk asked her "You don't have to continue this"

"I'm really ok" AJ said cupping his cheek as he leaned over "Do the police know you're here?"

"Claudette does" Punk said to her "she's not too thrilled but she'll get over it"

"Are you sure you want to be here?" she asked him "Things are going to happen"

"What kind of things?" he asked lying next to her gazing at her face while she kept looking up at the ceiling

"Tonight was just the beginning" she warned him "It's going to get worse before it gets better. You shouldn't have to deal with this anymore"

"If you're here I'm here" Punk told her simply "We're a team remember?"

"Yea" she said softly

"I'm worried" Punk admitted

"You always worry about me" AJ smirked still avoiding looking at him

"And I always will" Punk said to her "You know this reminds me so much of when we first started out"

"I was thinking the same thing" AJ agreed looking over to him finally "We're sneaking around like we used to"

"I loved that" Punk smirked "It was the only good part of that time"

"I just can't believe we're married and still have to do it" AJ said sadly

"It's kind of romantic" Punk said simply

"Oh really?" AJ teased

"Yea it's kind of like kinky role play" Punk informed her causing her to giggle "Except were us just two years ago"

"How very sexy" AJ teased giggling. "As mad as I am for you showing up here after I asked you not to I am glad you're here" she admitted "I would have been fine but seeing you here really makes me believe it's all going to be ok"

"It is going to be ok" Punk told her "You're going to crack him like an egg and send him off to jail. You of all people deserve at least that" he kissed her forehead lightly and moved off of the bed "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not hungry" AJ told him "I ate earlier but if you're hungry you should eat"

"I'm not I ate pizza after I landed" Punk said to her "I've missed it" he smirked

"So come back to bed" AJ said to him and he did as she requested

"Your wish is my command" Punk smirked

"Good now I want you to make love to me" AJ said simply rolling over so she was on her side and scooted over to him

"Your hurt" Punk reminded her

"My feet I don't think they have much involvement in this" AJ smirked "Please? I need you" he could never turn her down even if he tried. He didn't speak instead just began to kiss her and gave into her request…

* * *

The next morning AJ was cocooned by Punk's body. He had a protective hold on her and she didn't even try to fight it. This was when she felt the safest. The doorbell ringing woke them both up.

"Who is that?" Punk asked in a groggy voice "Who even knows we're home?"

"Christian" AJ said already knowing that was probably him "You need to hide" she said quickly getting out of the bed and reaching for her clothes

"This really is like old times" Punk mumbled. The first time they almost slept together Christian showed up and Punk ended up hiding in AJ's closet.

"Please Phil you need to hurry" AJ said tossing him a pair of shorts and a shirt. He just nodded and slipped on the clothing "And no matter what you don't show your face" she warned him

"AJ-" Punk started

"I mean it Phil" AJ said in a serious voice "Please don't blow this. Just stay up here and unless I scream for you personally I have it under control ok?"

"Ok" Punk said reluctantly then watched as AJ raced out the door.

Once she reached the door she glanced in the mirror and straightened out her hair before opening the door.

"Christian" she said with a fake smile

"Good morning beautiful" Christian grinned and kissed her as soon as he stepped inside.

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked him as she turned to close the door and even wiped her lips when he wasn't looking

"I told you I was taking you to our new home today" Christian said to her

"I thought that was later" AJ said to him

"I'm too excited and I can't bear to be away from you another night" Christian said almost playfully "Pack your bag and we can be off. I'll send someone over for the rest of your things"

"I have a lot to take care of here" AJ said to him nervously

"April this wasn't a request" Christian said coolly "I'll help you pack" he said walking up the steps and AJ's eyes winded in fear

"No, no" she said trying to catch up to him "I'll pack a bag why don't you just wait in the kitchen for me?"

"I want to see what you're bringing" Christian said casually "Which room is yours?"

"This one" she said opening the door slowly hoping Punk was hiding elsewhere in the room

"It's a bit dreary no?" Christian asked looking around the dark room

"Yea I guess" she said slowly

"You must have tossed and turned all night" He said glancing towards the bed that was in shambles

"Yea" AJ said to him "My feet really hurt" she admitted "It was hard to sleep"

"I'm sorry love" Christian said with a frown walking over to her "But you know actions have consequences"

"Of course" AJ said as if she was his puppet

"Good" he smiled pulling into her another kiss this time his hands wandered to her butt and gave it a firm squeeze before releasing her "I can't wait until I can mark you as mine again" he said huskily

"Me either" AJ forced out with a smile causing Christian to ease up. She seemed as if this was what she truly wanted "Sit down I'm going to grab a bag from the closet and we'll pack"

"Ok" He smiled as she stepped into the huge closet she saw Punk inside and he handed her an overnight bag she wanted to talk to him but knew she couldn't. She simply turned around and walked out of the closet and shut the door behind her. She saw Christian was holding a framed photo that was next to her bed of herself and Punk on their wedding day.

"You look very happy here" Christian noted placing the framed picture back where he had picked it up from

"I was" AJ said to him "Things change"

"Do you miss him?" Christian questioned. She wasn't sure how to respond she was caught off by the question "Answer me April" he said in a firmer tone standing up

"No" AJ said softly and she was met with a hard slap across her face that caught her by surprise.

"Don't lie to me" Christian seethed "You don't share so much with a man and feel nothing"

"I miss what we had" AJ admitted quickly hopefully that answer would satisfy him. She had to calm him down before Punk really did storm out of the closet, she knew he heard everything being said and done. "But that's over now I missed you more than I could ever miss that life" he seemed happy with the response and smiled

"Good" Christian said to her "I have to make a phone call make sure you pack some warm clothes the heating is still being worked on in the house"

"Ok" she said and he leaned in and kissed her again this time it was tongue filled and sloppy. Once he pulled away from her he winked in her direction and then stepped out of the room. AJ walked towards the door and saw him reaching into his phone and walking down the main stairs. She closed her bedroom door and locked it. Once she turned around Punk was already out of the closet and was pissed.

"You can't go" Punk said to her

"I have to Phil" she whispered "its fine I took care of it"

"He hit you AJ" Phil hissed keeping his voice down

"Please just stay up here" AJ pleaded "Like I told you the FBI is all over his place I'll be safe" Punk just placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head so he could look at her cheek and cringed

"I want to fucking kill this guy" Punk said in a very low but rough voice

"I know baby" AJ said trying to calm him "But you can't, like you said I deserve this. I deserve to end this and I will just trust me"

"I do" he said to her unsurely "I just-"

"-I love you" she said then silenced him with a kiss "I'll see you as soon as I can"

"I'll be here" Punk told her "And you can call me if things get out of hand and I'll be right over in a flash, ok?"

"Ok" AJ said to him with a smile. She then threw some clothes into the bag and zipped it "I need to get out of here before he comes for me"

"Damn it AJ" Punk groaned feeling himself being torn again

"It's going to be ok" she said with a warm smile "I have a good feeling about this" then kissed him one more time before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her

"I don't" Punk mumbled. He reached for his cell phone and dialed a number "Hey"

"What the hell are you doing?" Colt asked his friend "Cliff called me and told me you're back in Chicago. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking my wife is here with a violent criminal" Punk said to him "Look I need your help with something are you in town?"

"Yea" Colt said to him "What do you need?"

"I need to keep an eye on AJ" Punk told him

"How are you going to do that?" Colt asked him

"She's going over to his new house today and staying there" Punk informed him

"How do you know that?" Colt questioned

"Because she told me" Punk said to him

"You are going to get her killed man" Colt said with a sigh "She's not supposed to be in touch with you he'll read her phone records!"

"We didn't talk on the phone I was with her last night" Punk said to him

"Oh that's much better" Colt mocked

"Christian was here too" Punk said to him

"Jesus Phil" Colt mumbled. He never called him Phil unless it was serious "You do realize you're not supposed to be doing this right? You both are going to end up dead if you keep this up and then your daughter will be raised by Cliff and Erica right? Isn't that enough into scaring you into behaving"

"She's in trouble" Punk argued "I need to be close in case she needs me I'm not going to do anything stupid"

"Oh really" Colt mocked

"Yea because you're going to make sure I don't. You're coming with me" Punk informed him

"Great" Colt muttered

"I can do this without you" Punk told him

"No, no I'm in" Colt said quickly "I'll pick you up are you still at your house?"

"I am but don't come here I'll have to sneak out" Punk said to him "I'll call you and tell you were to get me"

"Alright be careful" Colt said then hung up


	84. Crazy House

**Chapter 84: Crazy House**

* * *

AJ stepped out of Christian's car and looked around the neighborhood. There weren't too many houses around and to her it all seemed too perfect. He led her into the large (yet her real home was probably triple the size) house and she glanced around a bit. It was all phony. The walls were painted warm colors and the place had fresh flowers and photos. None of it had meaning- it felt like she was standing in a display in a furniture store.

"What do you think?" Christian asked anxiously

"It's lovely" she smiled

"I knew you'd like it" Christian grinned then took her hand and gave her the full tour. He did avoid the basement which she was thankful for because Punk had warned her about what he found in there. He also didn't show her one bedroom which she assumed was Quinn's nursery.

"This is our bedroom" Christian said opening the door and leading her in. It was very dark with pure white furniture.

"It's pretty" she forced out

"The bed is very comfortable as well" Christian smiled leaning in and kissing her gently

"What about the room across the hall?" AJ asked pulling away

"Oh" he said slowly "I don't think you should see that room"

"Why?" she asked him

"Ok fine" Christian led her across the hall and opened the door to the nursery. It did look just like Quinn's room.

"It looks like Quinn's room" AJ noted

"I know I was preparing for her arrival with you I didn't realize you'd leave her behind" Christian said to her and she had to fight back the tears. She missed Quinn terribly. "We can change it around when our child arrives"

"I thought you didn't want children" AJ said looking towards him

"I didn't but now the idea of us creating a life excites me" Christian said to her as he placed his hand over her flat stomach "We're going to create the most perfect being"

"I don't want any children" AJ said abruptly pulling away

"April this isn't a democracy" Christian laughed

"I forgot it's a dictatorship" AJ mocked and Christian narrowed his eyes at her

"Do you not like the way I do things April?" Christian questioned "You know the rules but yet you still came home to me"

"I know and I'm fine with them but a child isn't in the cards for me" AJ said to him

"It is for me" Christian said to her "I'm getting older April and I want a child I want a piece of you for the rest of my life"

"Can we just talk about this later?" AJ asked him quickly "I still have a lot going on"

"I know you're still legally married" Christian said as he followed her into the master bedroom

"Yea I guess I am" AJ said slowly

"My attorney is drawing up your divorce papers as we speak" Christian said to her "Was there any kind of prenuptial agreement?"

"No" AJ admitted

"Well you don't need his money anymore what's mine is yours and I plan on taking care of you for the rest of your life" Christian smiled as they both took a seat on the bed

"You've always been very good to me" AJ smiled faintly

"Even after how terrible you've been to me" Christian frowned

"I'm sorry for leaving you" AJ said to him

"I know April" Christian grinned kissing the tip of her nose "I've been waiting for you to come back to me and now that you have I'm never letting you go again"

"Good" AJ said forcing a smile and cringed when Christian pulled her into a bruising kiss. He kept a grip on the back of her neck to keep her lips connected to his while his other hand moved to her breasts and began to massage her through her shirt. AJ pulled away as quickly as possible. "I already told you I can't" she said quietly to him

"I know but there's other ways to please me April" Christian reminded her "I've missed you, I've dreamt about you and now I want to feel you" he said grabbing her hand and placing it over himself "You remember how I like it don't you?" he questioned with a whisper into her ear

"Yea of course" she forced out. Of course she didn't really remember. All she's ever thought about was Punk- she's never even thought about Christian sexually for years now

"Come on April" He said using his hand to push hers down on him "Don't make me do all of the work" he began to kiss her neck while a tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

Punk and Colt were parked across the street and a few houses down from Christian's.

"I can't see anything" Punk muttered squinting at the house

"If we go any closer we'll be spotted" Colt reminded him "Why are you doing this man?"

"Because AJ is in there" Punk said to him simply "She's in there with him because I told her to do it"

"You what?" Colt asked surprised "What the hell happened in Hawaii? No one has told me a thing!"

"A lot" Punk mumbled "We went to dinner one night and this waiter was all over AJ and I found out he was working for Christian"

"Wow" Colt mumbled "He really does have a far reach"

"I made him call Christian and tell him we were leaving" Punk said to him "And then Christian told this guy to take Quinn. Obviously that wasn't going to happen but there's no telling how far he would go and who else he would send after my daughter. I freaked out"

"So you came up with this plan?" Colt asked surprised

"Claudette did" Punk admitted "She told me about it a few weeks ago and I brushed it off. AJ wanted to do it then but I put my foot down and said no" he said to Colt "She lost it after that"

"What do you mean?" Colt asked

"She tried to buy a gun" Punk said with a laugh. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around it "I stopped right as she was paying for it"

"She just walked into a gun shop and bought a gun?" Colt asked surprised

"No, no she tried to buy this gun from some sort of criminal" Punk said to him "She cracked man" Punk admitted thinking back to that night "She tried to drown herself in the ocean"

"Holy shit" Colt muttered "I'm sorry"

"Why are you sorry?" Punk asked

"That must have sucked for you to see that" Colt said to him

"It did and I don't even want to think about it" Punk said to him "I'm still not sure she's mentally ready to handle this. What if she cracks again and tries to kill herself again? Christian isn't going to stop her"

"You're not exactly in a position to help her either" Colt pointed out

"I'm going to be" Punk said to her "Where she goes I go" he said firmly

"I don't think the police are going to like that" Colt smirked

"I don't give a shit what they like" Punk mocked "I don't like the fact that after only being back a few hours she's already been burned and hit by this prick" Punk stopped talking when his phone vibrated and he smiled at the message

"Who's that?" Colt asked

"Cliff" Punk smirked looking at the message again "Quinn rolled over for the first time today. AJ and I have been waiting for her to do it"

"Rolling over isn't that exciting" Colt said trying to ease his friends guilt "It's the first steps you really don't want to miss"

"I never wanted to miss anything" Punk said putting his phone in his pocket. He then unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door handle

"Where are you going?" Colt asked

"To get a closer look at the house" Punk said to him

"Are you fucking crazy?" Colt shouted "You're going to get spotted and not only get yourself killed but AJ too"

"No one is going to see me" Punk assured him "Besides I've got a hat on"

"Oh that's right your Cubs hat. No one will ever recognize you now" Colt mocked "What if a fan spots you first? Stay in the car"

"I'll be ten minutes. I just have to make sure she's ok" Punk then stepped out of the car but before he could do anything he was pushed to the ground

"Don't move Mr. Brooks" the man said handcuffing Punk's hands behind his back "I'm the FBI so please don't cause a scene or give anyone any reason to look over to us" the man was dressed as a city electrician and he helped Punk to his feet and knocked on the car window waving for Colt to follow them.

The Agent led them to a van that was parked behind them and opened the back door and gestured for them to get on.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching my wife?" Punk asked annoyed

"Your wife is being watched very closely" the agent assured him "I'm Agent Parilla" he said un-cuffing Punk

"Well Agent Parilla your wasting your time with me you need to worry about AJ" Punk said to him coldly

"My job is to watch you" Agent Parilla told him "Your wife has her own team of Agents"

"I don't see anyone" Punk argued

"That's the point" the agent said annoyed "I was told to arrest you if you tried to interfere in this investigation"

"I wasn't interfering" Punk said annoyed

"He was just stretching his legs" Colt said to the agent and he just rolled his eyes

"We have this under control Mr. Brooks you're going to get your wife and yourself killed" Agent Parilla told him

"My wife came home last night with burns on her feet from a cigarette" Punk said to him "Where were you to protect her then?" the Agent looked caught off guard

"You saw your wife last night?" the Agent asked him

"Yea I did and don't worry Christian had no idea" Punk said annoyed "Where the hell were you and your buddies last night!"

"What else did she say?" The agent asked reaching for a notepad and pen

"How is this supposed to work if you don't communicate with her?" Punk asked annoyed "I knew this was a bad idea" he said to Colt "These people are idiots"

"We had a set met for today but Christian surprised her early" The Agent defended "I need you to write down everything your wife said about her meeting last night" he said passing Punk the notepad

"I don't trust you" Punk told him bluntly

"You don't really have a choice" Agent Parilla told him "well actually you do. You can write down what your wife said and help us help her or you can be arrested"

"Fine" Punk said bitterly snatching the notepad from the agent "Will you tell me why you didn't go in and get her last night at least? Why did you people let her get tortured like that?"

"She didn't make the distress call" The agent said to him

"There's a distress call?" Punk asked looking up at him and the agent nodded

"It's on her cell phone. She just has to hit one button" The Agent told him

"Well what if she's not near her cell phone?" Punk asked annoyed

"That was a risk she was willing to take last night" The agent told him "She didn't have to see him last night but she agreed"

"What about today?" Colt asked "What happens if she's in trouble and can't get to her phone?"

"The place is bugged. We know everything that's going on in the house right now" the agent assured him "This house is actually the safest place for her"

"That's a scary thought" Colt muttered

"Is she ok?" Punk asked him

"I can't discuss this with you Mr. Brook" Agent Parilla told him

"Is she ok?" Punk repeated this time slower "I see you're married" he said nodding towards the young man's wedding band "I'm not asking for details I just have to know she's ok"

"She's good" The agent said to him quietly "She's doing a great job actually"

"Are you guys going to let her get hurt?" Punk asked him "I know your goal is to arrest him but I hope it's not at the expense of my wife's life"

"Your wife's life is our priority" The Agent told him "She just needs to get him to open up to her a bit and then it's done."

"How long do you think it will take?" Colt asked

"It could be over in five minutes or five weeks" The agent shrugged

"I was told it wouldn't be that long" Punk said to him

"Well it depends on how far your wife gets" The Agent said to him "You know I met her briefly last night and she said she was doing this to keep her daughter and husband safe. I'm sure she'd be very upset if you got yourself killed"

"Well I want to keep her safe" Punk told him casually

"That's out of your control right now" The Agent said to him "After your statement I'll have someone take you to the airport"

"The airport?" Punk asked him

"Yea so you can go back to Hawaii" the Agent told him "Be with your daughter Mr. Brooks. She needs you more than your wife does"

"My daughter is in good hands" Punk told him "My wife isn't. So this is where I'm going to be"

"She is in good hands" the Agent told him

"Do I have to mention again how I had to clean her burns again?" Punk asked annoyed

"She was alone with Mr. Scott and Mr. Cryer during that time" Agent Parilla reminded him "She's not alone in there"

"You have an agent in there?" Colt asked catching on

"This stays between us" The Agent said seriously "He's not high up he pretty much just does grit work and keeps the house clean but that's all we need. He'll keep your wife safe"

"I need to be kept in the loop" Punk insisted

"You need to stay far away" Agent Parilla argued

"My wife is in there because I asked her to be and it was a stupid fucking thing I asked her to do" Punk argued back "I need to be here and be close to her and not to interfere but to just feel close to her. I'll stay out of the way but I need to be close. We've been fighting this together for the last two years and now she's on our own and it's not right- you know it's not I know you agree with me" he said as the Agent looked moved by the speech "I just need to be in the loop and close to her that's all. I know my wife better than any of you as well. I may be even needed to help"

"What were you doing when you were getting out of the car?" the Agent asked him "You were going to run in there and pull her out?"

"No" Punk said to him "I just wanted to make sure she was still alive!"

"You stay out of the way" The Agent warned "If I get one whiff of you going rogue here or screwing anything up you will sit out the rest of this investigation in a prison cell"

"Understood" Punk said to him and the Agent nodded

* * *

Christian was upstairs on his cell phone and AJ managed to sneak away and head down to the living room. She headed straight to the door she knew led to the basement and tried to open it but it was locked.

"What are you doing?" Christian asked starling her

"You didn't show me in here before" AJ said innocently "I was just wondering"

"That leads to the basement" Christian said to her

"Show me" AJ insisted

"Oh no April" Christian said with a smile "You've been doing so well the basement is where the bad people go"

"What does that mean?" AJ questioned

"Nothing for you to worry about" Christian said to her

"Ok" AJ said letting it go

"I have some business to attend to" Christian informed her and AJ nodded

"You stay and get comfortable, maybe start dinner?" Christian suggested

"What kind of business?" AJ asked him

"You're full of questions aren't you?" Christian smirked "It's just business you stay here"

"Ok" AJ said placing her hands into her pocket

"Mr. Cryer will be with me" Christian informed her and AJ felt relieved "Mr. Winston will be here with you though"

"Who is that?" AJ asked

"We've had a lot of personal changes over the past two years" Christian admitted "I think you two will get along famously."

"Why is that?" AJ asked unsurely

"Just a feeling" Christian shrugged and then kissed her lips "I'll be back in an hour"

Once Christian was gone another man entered the living room.

"Don't try to go down there" the man said to her

"Who are you?" AJ asked him

"Jason Winston" he said to her then smiled "or I go by Agent Messer"

"They told me you'd be here" AJ said with relief

"Are you alright?" Agent Messer questioned

"Yes I'm better knowing I'm not alone" AJ said with a slight smile

"We know what happened last night" The agent told her "You should have contacted us that you were injured"

"How did you know that? Christian told you?" AJ asked surprised

"No I'm still not that close with him- your husband told us" Agent Messer said and she looked fearful

"He called you guys?" she asked surprised

"He's outside" Agent Messer chuckled "In one of the security vans"

"Why?" she asked alarmed

"He's worried but I thought you'd be at ease knowing he was so close to you" The Agent said to her

"I am actually" AJ said surprised with herself

"Good" Agent Messer smiled at her "About the basement- we don't have that room bugged we couldn't get in to do it yet so don't show too much interest in it ok?"

"Ok" AJ said to him "So that's the only room not bugged?"

"The smaller bathroom isn't bugged, the basement and the nursery" The Agent informed her "Everything else is wired"

"Where was he going?" AJ asked him "I'm surprised he left tonight"

"Why?" Agent Messer asked her

"Because I'm back. He'd never leave for business when I was with him and now that I'm back after so long it just seems weird" AJ admitted

"He's being followed" Agent Messer assured her "But if it feels off to you I'll let my superiors know, you do know Mr. Scott better than anyone"

"Good" AJ said to him

* * *

Christian got into his car with his right hand Pete Cryer and instructed the driver to take off.

"So what do you think?" Pete asked him

"You were right" Christian said to him "She's lying to me"

"I had a feeling" Pete said to him "I also know Mr. Brooks is in town as well he was at the house last night with April"

"Of course he was" Christian said sadly "I can't believe she betrayed me like this" he said as a single tear rolled down her cheek

"And you've been so good to her" Pete said in a disgusted tone "Don't worry sir there are plenty of other women who would kill to be with you"

"I don't want other women" Christian said sadly "April is my girl, I wanted her and now she's working with the Fed's?" he asked himself "I've never felt a pain like this before"

"How do you want to handle this?" Pete questioned him

"I want her to feel my pain" Christian said coldly

"We need to move her from the house then" Pete told him

"The basement is safe" Christian said to her "That's where the bad people go"

"What about the Agent in the house?" Pete questioned

"Him too" Christian said to him "I want them both to feel my betrayal"

"We can take them out in the basement" Pete told him "We'll leave and get you out of town before the FBI even realize they haven't checked in"

"I don't care if I get caught" Christian admitted "All I had was April to look forward to. When I thought I killed her I walked right into prison because there was no point to freedom"

"Don't let her break you sir" Pete insisted "You have to be strong"

"She broke me" Christian said to her

"And we'll break her in return" Pete assured him

"I don't want to just take them out" Christian said to him "It can't be quick and fast"

"Ok so we'll move them to our warehouse" Pete told him

"Yea that's a good idea" Christian said to him "I want Mr. Brooks there as well"

"Are you sure?" Pete asked him

"I want him to see what he forced me to do" Christian said bitterly "I warned him two years ago that bad things would happen to April if he didn't stay away"

"He's with the FBI" Pete pointed out

"He won't be for long. He has to go home at some point" Christian said to him "We can't rush this"

"I agree" Pete said to him "Are you going to be ok?" he asked his friend

"No" Christian said sadly as he looked out the car window and cried quietly.


	85. Mama's Boy

**Chapter 85: Mama's Boy**

* * *

AJ had just started to cook dinner when Christian arrived back at the house.

"Something smells good" Christian smiled as he entered the kitchen with a big smile on his face "It's a shame it's all going to go to waste"

"What?" AJ asked surprised "It's almost finished and it's your favorite" she pointed out

"I know and I'm so pleased you remembered but I have bigger plans for tonight" he said to her to quietly

"Like what?" she asked him

"You're awfully curious tonight" Christian smirked "Back in the day you used to love my surprises"

"I'm really tired tonight" AJ said to him "Can we hold off any surprises until tomorrow?" she asked him

"Sure" Christian agreed "I suppose one last meal won't hurt"

"Last meal?" AJ asked him

"I mean for the night. The thing was my business meeting earlier involved dinner" Christian admitted "I hope you're not upset"

"Oh no not at all" AJ said to him "You don't have to eat if you're not hungry"

"What about you? You must be starved" Christian noted "You're looking a little frail to be honest"

"I'll eat" AJ said to him

"So have you heard from your husband?" Christian asked her

"No" AJ said turning around so she was facing the stove

"That's very surprising" Christian noted "He was obsessed with you I'm surprised he just let you go"

"He didn't have a choice" AJ said glaring towards Christian "He knew when I said it was over it meant that it was over"

"If he truly loved you he never would have given up on you I never did" Christian reminded her

"Yea well I guess he doesn't love me the way you do" AJ said to him

"No one could" Christian said to her seriously "You've consumed my life April you've also pushed me to extremes I didn't even know existed"

"Love is very scary I suppose" AJ said agreeing with his statement

"You haven't mentioned the stabbing once" Christian pointed out

"What's to talk about?" AJ questioned "You didn't want anyone else to have me you thought it was your only option"

"I lost faith in you April" Christian said to her "And when I lose faith and trust in someone things get ugly"

"You don't have to worry about that anymore" AJ lied

"Oh I know my love" Christian said with a warm smile

* * *

Later that night Punk walked back into his home after he was escorted back by Agent Parllia.

"Why can't I stay there?" Punk asked throwing his jacket in frustration across the room

"Because you're not an FBI agent" Agent Parilla reminded him "You stay here and try to keep a low profile"

"Is something wrong?" Punk questioned "Is that why you took me back here?"

"Nothing is wrong" the agent assured him "your wife is perfectly fine and even was able to speak with our agent we have undercover in the house"

"Because Christian left the house- something is off" Punk said to him "Christian never would have left her alone in the house as a matter of fact him letting her come home last night also makes me nervous. He never would have let her do that"

"Mr. Scott knows April is willing to stay" the Agent shrugged simply

"Before AJ met me she was willingly with him but he still never trusted her" Punk argued "He used to show up and personally take her home from events and shows"

"Everything is going according to plan" the agent assured him "You need to stay here"

"Ok" Punk said simply with a shrug "Whatever you say"

"Don't come back tomorrow" The agent warned

"You're right" Punk said simply and calmly "You guys know what you're doing and I'll just get in the way"

"I'm glad you understand" the agent smiled "I'll take care of your wife don't worry"

"Oh I know you will" Punk said with a smile "I feel good knowing she's in the capable hands of the FBI"

"I feel like you're mocking me" Agent Parilla smirked

"I'm not" Punk said walking him to the door "Now stop wasting your time and go back to your job of looking out for my wife"

"Have a good night Mr. Brooks" Agent Parilla said then walked out of the house

"Idiot" Punk muttered and reached into his phone "Colt it's me…yea I know but I need to borrow your car…tonight!...of course I'm going back" he said simply "I'll stop by in an hour and get it….ok thanks"

"Mr. Brooks" the voice startled Punk and he slowly turned around and saw Pete Cryer standing in his home

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked completely surprised to see him. Did he hear what him and the Agent were discussing? Did he just get his wife killed?

"Welcome home" Pete smiled placing his hand over the gun that was tucked in front of his pants

"I have some things to take care of" Punk said simply "I want you out of my house"

"What kind of things?" Pete questioned

"Well I don't know if you heard but my wife left me so I'm here to pack up some more of my things for me and my daughter. We're planning on staying in Hawaii" Punk offered up the information freely

"Save it Mr. Brooks" Pete said casually "I know what's going on here"

"And what's going on?" Punk questioned

"April is working with the FBI" Pete said to him "Don't worry you didn't blow it for her if that's what you're thinking. I had a feeling they'd call her to do their dirty work and sure enough she showed up out of the blue and offered herself up to a man who beat her and nearly killed her freely. Seemed odd to me honestly"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Punk lied

"You're an excellent liar" Pete smiled "Your wife isn't even Mr. Scott saw right through her façade"

"Christian thinks she's working with the FBI?" Punk asked alarmed

"Yes he knows as well" Pete told him "He's heartbroken and you know how he gets when he feels betrayed"

"Don't hurt her" Punk said quietly

"I'm not going to touch your wife" Pete said then smiled "well at least not again" he laughed. Pete noticed Punk looked ready to lunge for him so he pulled out his gun "Remain calm there's no reason for your daughter to be an orphan"

"She's not working with the FBI!" Punk screamed

"Yes she is and we know the house is bugged and we also know who the other agent is in the house" Pete told him smugly "We're smarter than the FBI"

"Ok" Punk said calmly "So you know the deal. AJ didn't have a choice they made her do this"

"Or did you make her do it?" Pete asked "Did you get scared when you heard your daughter's name leave Christian's mouth? I've known the man for years and to be honest that would scare me as well"

"Leave her alone" Punk said to her "I'm the reason they're not together. If you and your stupid boss want to hurt somebody hurt me. None of this would have happened if it weren't for me"

"I actually agree with you" Pete said to him "Mr. Scott does not"

"I'll trade places with her" Punk offered

"That's not an option" Pete said to him "But I'm willing to take you to her" Punk's eyes widened

"Where is she?" Punk asked him

"She's still at the house but if I were to guess they're getting ready to transport her" Pete said to her "There's no way out anymore Mr. Brooks. Your wife is going to die tonight and I am going to give you a different choice"

"You can come with me willingly to see your wife" Pete told him

"Done" Punk said seriously not caring what he was walking into

"You're going to die as well Mr. Brooks" Pete said to him with a frown "You do realize that don't you?"

"We'll see about that" Punk said strongly and Pete just smiled

"Or you can take option two- I'll turn around and walk out of here and you're free to live." Pete said to him "Go back to Hawaii with your daughter and raise her. And when she's old enough you can explain to her how you killed her mother" Punk eyed the man warily "Are you going to leave your daughter an orphan or are you going to die with your wife?" Pete asked seriously "I'll give you five minutes-"

"-I don't need five minutes" Punk said cutting him off "I want to see my wife"

"You might not like what you see" Pete informed him

"Take me to her" Punk demanded

"Ok" Pete said simply "Follow me"

* * *

AJ slowly opened her eyes and looked around her surroundings. How did she get her? What the hell happened?

"Hi April" Christian said coldly

"Christian what is this?" AJ asked feeling that her wrists were chained to the wall

"I had to knock you out from behind so you wouldn't make any noise and alert the authorities" Christian informed her "Yes April I know all about it"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" AJ said confused

"Stop the lying April!" Christian screamed "You're working with the FBI!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" AJ screamed back

"Damn it April why did you do this to me?" Christian cried grabbing her face as he cried "Do you know what I have to do to you now?"

"Please Christian" AJ begged

"Please what? Let you live?" Christian asked "You're not leaving here April not until you feel the pain I feel!"

"I just wanted my daughter to be safe!" AJ cried "I just wanted you to stop!"

"Is that why you tried to purchase a gun?" Christian asked her "You really hate me that much that you wanted to kill me?"

"Yes" AJ said in a deep angry voice "I hate you so much but I couldn't get the gun so this was the only other option!"

"I should take your daughter away from you" Christian said to her

"Don't you dare touch her!" AJ screamed "I will not let you touch a hair on my daughter's head!"

"I said I should not that I would" Christian said to her coldly "I'll take something away from you that you love just as much"

"No" AJ said shaking her head "They're not even here! They're protected by the FBI! You can't get near my family!"

"We both know Phil isn't in Hawaii" Christian said to her and her eyes widened

"Leave him alone it has nothing to do with him" AJ reminded him "This is between us"

"He volunteered to come here April" Christian informed her and AJ felt the tears leave her eyes "Your daughter is going to grow up without a mother or a father now so I think that's enough punishment for her"

"Just do it" AJ said to him "Just kill me and get it over with!"

"You would like that wouldn't you?" Christian asked "For it to be so easy and painless?"

"Painless? I've been in pain since the day I let you into my life!" AJ screamed "You've ruined my life! And once I finally found happiness I had to second guess it every day because of you!"

"I did nothing but love you!" Christian yelled back

"You tortured me!" AJ yelled "I loved you!" she reminded him "I was good to you! And all you did was treat me like a prisoner!"

"What happened to you?" Christian asked disgusted "You're not the April I fell in love with"

"You're right I'm not" AJ said to him smugly "I'm not some weak girl who needs you anymore. I grew up and I became wiser"

"Wiser? You're chained to a wall in one of my warehouses" Christian reminded her "You're a fool and you really did all of this to protect your family and now look around you. You don't have a family anymore"

"I'll always have a family" AJ said to him "And I didn't just do this for them I did this for Drew Keith who you killed, I did it for his sister, I did it for Casey- I'm doing this for every single person you have poisoned"

"And where did your heroics get you?" Christian mocked "And I know you think your buddy the FBI informant Agent Messer I'm pretty sure his name was- won't be much help"

"You killed him" AJ stated rather than asked

"I did" Christian said to her "I know my home was bugged as well April."

"How did you get me out of the house?" AJ asked him

"I knocked you out in the kitchen and dragged you into the garage put you in my trunk and drove off. Agent Messer was killed in the basement" Christian rambled off "It was all very easy"

"Where is Phil?" AJ asked him

"He's on his way. He'll be here any minute I'm sure" Christian said to her

"You don't have to kill him" AJ said to him

"I'm not going to kill him" Christian scoffed "Mr. Brooks never betrayed me, he never stabbed me in the back and he never lied to my face like you did"

"But you said-" AJ started

"That your daughter will be orphan?" Christian asked "I'm sure she will be because a man watching his wife die does things to them. I'm sure he won't be mentally ready to raise the little girl that looks so much like you"

"He's strong" AJ smiled proudly

"He taught you how to be strong" Christian agreed "But again all that strength is for nothing because you're still the same weak little girl I met at the restaurant. You're afraid and that's your giveaway. I smelt it on you the moment you walked into my hotel room"

"I'm not afraid of you" AJ argued "If I was afraid I wouldn't have agreed to this what you smelt was my disgust for you. Your lips touching mine made me physical sick and I mean literally! All I wanted to do was pick up a knife and stab you in your cold dead heart"

"Ouch" Christian said to her "Harsh words for someone you share such a history with"

"Boss" Pete called out

"Your husband is here" Christian grinned

* * *

Colt ran into the police station out of breath.

"Hey I need to see Detective Claudette Williams" Colt said to the desk sergeant

"She's in a meeting" the man said to him

"Hey!" Colt yelled "This is a matter of life and death I need to see her now. Tell her it's about Christian Scott- the cover has been blown she'll understand" a moment later Claudette appeared

"Colt" Claudette said to him "What is-"

"Punk and AJ are in trouble" Colt told her

"What are you talking about?" Claudette asked him

"I was on the phone with Punk and before he hung up I heard another voice and it was one of Christians guys. They took AJ and they know you have an undercover in there- he said they're going to kill her" Colt told her desperately "He kept me on the line long enough but it was finally disconnected about fifteen minutes ago"

"What exactly was said?" Claudette asked him

"I'll tell you once you get you on the phone and call your FBI friends" Colt said to her quickly. "They're not the house they're somewhere else please you have to do something"

* * *

AJ looked over and saw Punk slowly walking in. He was relieved to see she seemed unhurt.

"Phil" AJ said looking over to her

"Mr. Brooks it's been a long time" Christian said as Pete kept his gun trained on Punk

"Not long enough" Punk replied. He knew he had to play this cool

"Your wife has been a bad, bad girl" Christian informed him

"Well why don't you let me take her home so she can think about what she did" Punk mocked with a grin

"April is never going home again" Christian said to him

"You really want to kill her?" Punk asked him "You know the FBI is going to be looking for her right?"

"I don't just want to kill her" Christian said to him "I want her to feel the pain that she has put me through"

"What about the pain you put her through?" Punk asked him "Why are you the victim of this story?"

"She lied to me" Christian pointed out

"You beat her with a belt" Punk shot back at him

"She cheated on me" Christian added

"And you beat me for that" Punk reminded him

"I took care of her family and she never even thanked me!" Christian yelled

"You also stabbed her in a bathroom and left her in a pool of her own blood!" Punk yelled back

"Phil please" AJ pleaded "Don't argue with him"

"If we're going to die here I'm going to get a few things off my chest first" Punk said to her

"Let him speak" Christian said to Pete and April "You and I actually have a lot in common"

"We have nothing in common" Punk said seriously

"We both love her" Christian pointed out

"You call this love?" Punk asked her "From the moment I met you at the arena two years ago I could see that you didn't love her and you want to know what I said to myself?" he asked Christian "I said 'self! It's going to be a lot easier to get with this beautiful woman because the man she's with is a shallow piece of shit'. You treated her like a property and that's why she left you"

"No she left me because she's selfish and ungrateful" Christian spat

"You have real abandonment issues" Punk grinned and Christian looked surprised "I did my homework on you." He informed Christian "I know all about your drunk daddy and dead mommy issues"

"Shut up" Christian warned

"You can throw AJ's life up in her face so let's talk about yours" Punk said coolly "After the stabbing I spent weeks looking into you. I wanted to know why you did the things you did"

"Congratulations Mr. Brooks you know how to use google and read. I'm impressed" Christian laughed "You're right April he's much better than me"

"Your dad killed your mom" Punk said and Christian's face fell "Maybe not literally but you know why she did what she did"

"You don't know a thing" Christian hissed

"I know your dad used to beat you and your mom and your mom had enough one day and took your dad's gun and put it in her mouth and took her own life" Punk replied casually "She left you alone when you were twelve to fight your sick and twisted father by yourself"

"She was weak" Christian said to him

"Or maybe she couldn't bare the thought of having to be stuck with your dad and knew her son was turning into a little monster himself" Punk shrugged and AJ gasped she thought Christian would snap at any moment but instead he listened to Punk. "That's why you killed Angelica because she realized the same thing your mother did and wanted to leave you but you wouldn't let anyone leave you would you? You couldn't stand the thought of it. And that's why you've been trying to get to AJ all of this time"

"Leave us be Pete" Christian ordered

"Sir I don't-" Pete started

"I said go!" Christian yelled. Pete turned and left the room.

"Tell me I'm wrong" Punk challenged

"You're wrong" Christian said firmly "You don't know me-"

"Didn't I just establish how will I know you?" Punk questioned

"My mother killed herself because she was too weak for my father" Christian said to her

"She killed herself because it was her only way out" Punk shot back "And you know deep down that you're just as weak as her"

"I'm not a weak man" Christian replied smugly

"Oh yea you're so strong" Punk mocked "You send big strong men to do all of your dirty work for you. Yea I'm sure daddy is real proud of his son who won't even get his hands dirty"

"I stabbed April" Christian reminded him

"Yea and you didn't even finish the job" Punk pointed out "You ran out of that bathroom and turned yourself into the police. All of this time you wanted to be big and strong like dad but your just weak and pathetic like your mother"

"April reminds me of my mother" Christian said to him "Weak" he said looking towards her

"She's not weak" Punk said with a smile "She's never given up. Every time you knocked her down she got right back up. You're not half as strong as she is. You do realize this is the end for you right?"

"Not just for me" Christian replied coldly "I may end up back in jail and I'll probably die there but at least I'll know April is gone too. That will give me satisfaction"

"Yet she's still here" Punk pointed out "I mean you really could have gotten to her at any time you've wanted. You've had people watching her, attacking her but never once had one of them tried to kill her"

"Because I want to do this" Christian defended "She belongs to me"

"She belongs to me" Punk countered "She's my wife. She's my other half. You've never had her Christian and I always have. You've always been alone"

"And so will you" Christian said to him walking over to AJ "Open your mouth!" he demanded pressing his gun to her cheek "Damn it April!" he screamed trying to force the gun into her mouth. He felt Punk jerk his arm back

"You're going to kill her the same way your mom died?" Punk asked him "Way to be strong mama's boy"

"I will shoot you dead" Christian warned now pointing his gun at Punk

"So do it" Punk said raising his arms so Christian couldn't miss "Fucking shoot me already"

"Don't" AJ said to him and Christian turned to look at her "Don't hurt him please" She cried

"He's not going to do it AJ" Punk said to her "He's a coward! It's one thing to bully a woman around but he can't push me around"

"I'm not afraid of you" Christian said to him

"Ditto" Punk responded fearlessly

"What are you expecting to happen here?" Christian asked him

"Honestly?" Punk asked him as he looked around the warehouse "I'm just hoping to buy some time"

"Time for what?" Christian asked

"Why don't you wait and find out" Punk asked him

"Christian Scott drop the weapon!" A voice yelled entering the back of the warehouse and before AJ knew it there was an entire swat team

"Looks like you're not the smartest one in the room anymore" Punk grinned "How does it feel to be out smarted by a lowlife?"

"No, no" Christian said looking around him and he was surrounded

"Drop your weapon or we will shoot!" a swat team member informed him. Punk slowly backed up and made his way to AJ to make sure to shield her from anything

"April" Christian said turning to look at her and Punk "This is where our story ends" he said with a faint smile as tears escaped his eyes

"Drop the weapon now!" another voice yelled

"You're right Mr. Brooks I am weak. You broke me April you did this to me" Christian said with a frown and placed the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger. Punk shielded AJ's eyes so she couldn't see all of it and it was a gruesome sight one that he was never going to forget.

"Is he dead?" AJ asked as Punk kept her face buried into his chest

"Yea" Punk said to her "Hey!" Punk yelled towards the officers and FBI agents "Get my wife out of these chains!"

* * *

Outside AJ was sitting in the back of an ambulance getting checked out with Punk at her side.

"It's really over" AJ said looking over to him

"Finally" Punk said with a sigh

"How did you know the police were coming?" AJ asked him

"I had Colt on the line when Pete came into the house" Punk said to her

"And I knew the FBI agent who dropped me off at home was still watching the place" Punk admitted

"But you didn't know for sure" AJ said to him

"I knew I just needed to buy us a little time" Punk said with a shrug

"You saved my life again" AJ said to him

"You did all of this" Punk said seriously "You came back and you made this possible"

"I should feel sad he's dead" AJ said to him "But I can't" she said with a smile "All I feel is relief"

"You're free for the first time in years" Punk smiled "You deserve this feeling"

"I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and it's all going to have been a dream" AJ admitted

"Trust me it's over" Punk said to her and she rested her head against his shoulder

"I just didn't expect it to end like this" AJ said to him "I can't believe he killed himself"

"He knew it was really over" Punk said to her

"You don't seem at all bothered by it" AJ said to him

"Am I bothered that the man that threatened my daughter and tortured my wife physically and mentally for years is dead and gone? No" Punk admitted

"Gone" AJ repeated quietly and began to cry. Punk looked alarmed as he watched her

"AJ?" Punk asked curiously

"He's gone" She cried out "He's really gone"

"Are you ok?" he asked her

"I just-" AJ tried to calm herself "This is all I've ever wanted. I've dreamt of this moment- and it's here. He's gone and I'm not"

"You thought he'd take you down with him?" Punk asked and she nodded

"I didn't think I'd walk away from this" AJ admitted

"Well April Jeanette Brooks you're free to live a happy and carefree life for the first time in a very long time, what do you want to do?" he asked with a smile as he wiped her tears away

"I want to see my daughter" AJ said with a smile "I want to go for a run by myself, I want to sit at the park for hours with my family and watch Louie run around- I want to do normal carefree things"

"And now you can" Punk smiled

"Can we go get our daughter?" AJ asked hopefully

"Yea" Punk said to her "Do you want to go home first and get some sleep?"

"No I want to go get our daughter" AJ smiled wide "I want to tell her everything is going to be ok"

"Because of you" Punk added "You were remarkable AJ. I'm so proud of you" he kissed her head gently

"You made me strong" AJ reminded him "You and Quinn" she said to him. AJ's smile turned into a frown and Punk turned to see what she was looking at. It was Pete being led away in hand cuffs and he had tears rolling down his cheek but once he made eye contact with AJ he smiled

"Ignore him" Punk said to her

"I think he's just as relieved as we are" AJ said sadly "There isn't a soul in the world that will weep with sadness once they hear about his death."

"He did it to himself" Punk reminded her and she nodded "Hey this isn't a time to be sad. Get happy because we're going to bring our daughter home"

"Finally" she smiled.

* * *

**A/N: Christian is finally gone! Are you as relieved as Punk and AJ? The end is near for the story...**


	86. Best In The World

**Chapter 86: Best In The World**

* * *

Punk and AJ took the next flight out and by late afternoon they were back in Hawaii.

"So she really rolled over?" AJ asked as her and Punk headed to the resort

"Yea that's what Cliff said" Punk shrugged

"I can't believe we missed it" AJ frowned "Did they film it at least?"

"I doubt it" Punk smirked "Don't worry we won't miss anything else ever"

"I hope not" AJ said as he took his keys out and unlocked the door

"Woah" Cliff said clearly surprised to see Punk "What happened? Is AJ-"

"I'm right here" AJ said stepping in behind him

"Is it over?" Cliff asked hopefully

"Yes" she said relieved as Cliff hugged her

"So he's back in jail?" Cliff asked with a grin

"No" Punk said to him

"He's dead?" Cliff asked surprised "What happened?"

"Long story" Punk said to him "I'll explain everything once we get settled"

"Where is Quinn?" AJ asked anxiously as Louie ran to her "I missed you too" she said kissing the dog

"Erica was just putting her down" Cliff said but AJ jetted up the stairs and headed into the nursery

"April" Erica said surprised but AJ just took Quinn out of the crib

"I'm sorry for waking her but I've missed her so much" AJ said holding her daughter

"It was like three days" Erica snorted

"Three days too long" AJ said cradling her daughter

"How are you?" Erica asked

"I'm good" AJ said with a smile "For the first time in a long time I'm good"

"He's gone?" Erica asked her and AJ nodded

"Gone for good" AJ confirmed

"Thank god" Erica muttered then smiled "Welcome back"

"Not for long" AJ pointed out "We're just here to get Quinn and finish packing then we're going home"

"Only you would be anxious to leave Hawaii" Erica smirked "So really how are you? Any permanent damage?"

"Well my feet have seen better days" AJ admitted and Erica frowned "But other than that I'm better than I thought I'd be"

"How's Punk?" Erica asked "He didn't really interfere did he?" AJ just shot Erica a look and she laughed "Of course he did"

"He saved my life" AJ admitted "Again"

"I knew he would" Erica said proudly

"If he didn't show up I'd probably be dead by now or at least being tortured" AJ said to her

"Are you sure you're ok?" Erica asked placing a hand on AJ's arm

"I really am" she smiled "He's never going to hurt us ever again. And now I'm here with my daughter in my arms…this is perfect"

"Hey" Punk said coming in room but before he could greet Quinn, Erica hugged him tightly

"Thank you for saving my sister" Erica whispered then pulled away and left the room

"She's sleepy" AJ noted watching as Quinn tried to keep her eyes open

"Well let me at least say goodnight to her" Punk said taking Quinn from her "Hi baby" he smiled kissing her cheek

"I'm going to start packing up her things-" AJ started

"AJ give yourself a day or so" Punk encouraged "We don't have to rush around anymore. We have all of the time in the world. You haven't slept in probably two days let's just take our time"

"Ok" She agreed "But I did sleep on the flight almost the entire flight actually"

"I know you were drooling on my arm for most of it" Punk said making a face

"Well once Quinn falls asleep I want to treat to you something really special" AJ said to him and he arched his brow

"Oh really?" Punk asked intrigued "What's that?"

"Just a thank you" AJ shrugged innocently

"Why are you thanking me?" Punk asked her "I should be thanking you"

"Well you've stuck by me through all of this madness. You knew what you're getting yourself into when you decided to pursue me relentlessly but I don't think you truly realized how crazy things were going to get" she smiled

"I wouldn't have changed a thing" Punk said to her honestly "I don't have any regrets- well maybe just a few"

"You don't seem to understand how grateful I am for you" AJ said to him "You gave me the strength to stand up for myself and be fight him. You told me I was strong enough to leave him and I did"

"You did it all" Punk reminded her

"You held my hand when I did and you also pulled me up when I got in too deep" AJ said to him

"You don't give yourself enough credit" Punk said to her "And that's going to rub off on Quinn. She's going to be strong just like you"

"Well I hope she is but I also hope she finds a man like you to encourage her along the way" she said as Punk placed Quinn in the crib

"Let's not get crazy here" Punk laughed nervously "She doesn't need a man in her life she already has me. I'm the only man in my girls' lives"

"Sure" she smirked "I do need to tell you something though" she said and now he look worried

"Ok" Punk said

"Not in here" she said leading him out of the nursery. She led him down the steps and outside on the patio where the chairs were set up.

"What's wrong?" Punk asked her

"When I was at the house with Christian before he figured out everything that had happened…" she trailed off

"You don't have to tell me" Punk said to her

"I want to" AJ said to him "I didn't sleep with him" she assured him and he nodded "But he did make me do other things…"

"You did what you had to do to stay alive" Punk said to her easing her mind "I hate the fact that you ever had to do anything like that out of fear though and if he wasn't dead I would probably be formulating a plot to kill him right now"

"I feel like I cheated" AJ admitted

"Did you enjoy it?" Punk asked her

"Of course not" she said almost offended

"Did you want to do it?" Punk asked her

"No I told him I didn't want to" AJ said to him

"So it wasn't cheating it was really assault" Punk pointed out

"I just feel dirty" she confided

"It's over" Punk promised kissing her head "I'll help clean you off" he suggested and she smiled

"I was hoping you'd offer" AJ teased

"Let's get started-" Punk started

"No, no you're going to ruin my present" she said to him and frowned "We're going to have some lunch and then you're going to take a nice long nap and then your surprise should be ready"

"I really hope this is what I think it is" Punk said to her and just smiled "AJ is it?" he asked hopefully but she just walked back inside "Babe!" he yelled following her inside

* * *

Later that night AJ was in her room with Erica and they discussed everything that had gone on and Erica was helping AJ get ready.

"Are you sure you don't mind being on Quinn duty again?" AJ asked her

"Of course not" Erica said to her "Once we get back to Chicago I'm going to have to move back to Cliff's and don't get me wrong I've loved my time with you guys but my lifestyle is very different. I just want to soak up all of this time with Quinn while I can"

"Given any thought to children?" AJ asked as Erica placed makeup up on AJ's eyes

"Yea I have but not all babies are as good as Quinn" Erica smiled

"So obviously you plan on staying in Chicago I guess" AJ said to her

"Yea I do" Erica said to her "I hope you don't mind"

"Of course not" AJ said to her "I'm happy to have family so close"

"Speaking of family I spoke to mommy" Erica admitted

"Oh" AJ said quietly

"She's worried about you" Erica said to her "Of course not enough to fly out or call you herself for that matter"

"I've been doing fine on my own" AJ said to her "We both have"

"Yea" Erica agreed "So what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" AJ asked her

"I mean what are you guys going to do now? Obviously go back to Chicago but are you going to go back to work or just take more time off?" Erica asked her "Or are you trying for baby number two?" she laughed

"No, no too soon for that" AJ laughed "I think we're just going to take some chill out time. I mean Quinn has never been to the park or seen any of Chicago besides the hospital, house and airport. I want her to explore"

"That's so sad" Erica said to her "I'm really happy he's gone for good"

"I just wish he didn't kill himself" AJ admitted

"It would have never been over if he didn't" Erica said to her seriously "He would have been in jail and still have gone on torturing you and your family. Without him he has no employees and no one to order to watch you. You can actually walk Louie without Punk following four feet behind you" she laughed

"Yea" AJ said to her "I really am just looking forward to doing normal family things"

"Well now you're going to get to" Erica smiled "Here I think you're ready" she said stepping away from AJ

"Too much makeup Erica" AJ said looking at Erica

"It's perfect!" Erica argued "Punk is going to flip out"

"Yea" AJ said softly

"What is it?" Erica asked her

"I just don't want him to look at me and see Christian" AJ said to her

"Trust me he won't be seeing a man when he looks at you" Erica laughed "Why would you even say that?"

"I told him about-" AJ started then stopped

"Hey you did the right thing" Erica said cutting her off "He gets that"

"I know" AJ said forcing a smile

"Get all of those negative thoughts out of your head because you never have to think about them again" Erica said to her "Now go finish getting ready and I'll get Quinn and send Punk up here"

"Ok" AJ said to her

* * *

Erica headed down the steps and saw Punk talking to Quinn who laying on the floor

"Come on just roll over" Punk encouraged "I know you can do it" he said to her

"She's not a circus animal" Erica snorted

"Gee thanks for that tip" Punk mumbled and watched as Erica put Quinn up "She was just about to roll over! Put her back"

"No Cliff and I are taking Quinn out to dinner" Erica said to him

"We are?" Cliff asked pausing the game he was playing on the couch

"Yes go get your shoes" Erica said to him

"Why? We just got back" Punk said standing up

"AJ needs the house quiet" Erica shrugged "She's waiting for you upstairs"

"Oh" Punk said with a small smile

"And besides Quinn has been cooped up in here all week she needs some fresh air" Erica said to him "You guys just have fun"

"Why can't I stay and have fun?" Cliff asked annoyed clearly not catching on

"I don't think Punk wants you apart of the fun AJ has planned" Erica smirked "Try to make me a nephew tonight" she whispered to Punk who looked embarrassed

"Oh!" Cliff yelled catching on "Ew" he added right after

"Let's go" Erica said to Cliff

"Fine" Cliff said "We're going to be back in probably an hour even though I'm sure you'll only need like six minutes"

"I hate you" Punk said to Cliff as he laughed

"Have fun" Erica smiled in a teasing voice

* * *

Punk walked up the stairs and headed into the bedroom that was dimly lit. He saw a chair in the middle of the room and smiled. He didn't say AJ so he quickly pulled off his shirt and kicked off his shorts.

"I'm ready!" Punk yelled happily taking a seat in the chair. AJ entered the room next and closed the door behind her.

"Are you?" she asked and he nodded happily

"No cuffs this time" He warned

"I promise" AJ smirked then walked over to the video camera, Punk hadn't even noticed it.

"Oh yes" Punk said with a grin

"This is just a small token of my appreciation" AJ said to him

"I appreciate" Punk said trying to not get overly excited

"I know you do baby" AJ said untying her robe and then turning on the radio.

"Come here" Punk said waving her over

"No" she said fully removing the robe and she was sporting a black lingerie set this time "If I go over there this is going be over before it starts and I've actually been practicing"

"Practicing?" Punk asked her

"Believe it or not Erica has some dancing history" AJ smirked

"Shocking" Punk muttered "Ok hurry up so we can get to the good part" he said rubbing his hands together anxiously

"You wanted this" AJ reminded him. She began to sway and move to the music a safe distance in front of him. Punk kept his eyes glued on her the entire the time after about three minutes of watching her rub herself and dance Punk stood up because clearly he had enough but AJ pushed him back in the chair.

"You did great" Punk assured her looking up at her "It was so hot but now it's time for you to get out of those clothes"

"You're taking me out of them" AJ whispered then leaned in kissed him. He moved his hands to her back and tried to pull her onto him but she quickly turned and was now sitting on him just back to front. She began to gyrate on top of him using her butt this time and his hands slowly crept around her waist and she didn't even notice he slipped one hand under her panties. Punk ever so slowly crept finger into her already soaking core and she arched up against him. It was truly the hottest thing Punk had ever done and was anxious to look back on the video already. Her moan of pleasure but a small to his face as he slipped another finger inside her and began to move in and out of her. She couldn't let him have all of the fun though, when she was arch back down she would make sure to make contact with his very hard member causing him to groan. "You like it?" she rasped out

"So good" Punk mumbled "But I need you" he whispered into her pulling his fingers out completely. AJ rested her head against him and relaxed against his body. She reached down and he helped her pull off her black laced thong.

"What do you need?" she asked him

"What do you think?" he asked lifting his hips against her rounded butt so she could feel his want

"I'll take care of that" she smiled and stood up. Punk went to stand up but again AJ pushed him back in the chair. She pulled down his boxers and got on her knees and took his tip into his mouth but that's as far as she got because he pulled her up by her shoulders and very smoothly she was back on his lap only this time face to face.

"Not that way" Punk said as his hands reached around to unhook her bra. Once the item was removed he ran his thumb over one of her already hardened nipples while he took the other into his mouth.

"Mhmm" AJ mumbled "Tonight is about you" she reminded him "This is your night"

"I know and I'm loving it" Punk smiled then continued at the task at hand. AJ began to move her hips against his in an attempt to get him to put out the fire that was practically burning her alive. "Be patient" he warned her

"I am" AJ pouted and he moved on to her other breast now and even though she was enjoying it this wasn't what she wanted. She moved her own hand down between her legs and found her hard nub and cried out. She knew this would get his attention eventually. She entered her own finger between her lips and that's when she felt his large hand wrap around her wrist

"What are you doing?" Punk asked her curiously

"I need it" she wined. He took her hand and inspected it

"That's my job" he informed her

"So get to it" She said seriously and he smiled. He took the finger that almost made its way into what he felt was his and began to suck on it. He tasted some of the juices on her and began suck harder on her finger. "Baby" she whispered

"I know I can feel you" Punk said letting go of her hand

"I can feel you" she countered smugly as she pushed down hard on him causing him growl "You need this"

"I do" Punk agreed as AJ stood up so she could lower herself onto him and she did- hard. "Fuck" he moaned loudly and AJ smiled, proud that after all of this time she still did it for him.

"Good?" she asked as he began to arch into her to match her fast pace. He couldn't even speak a word he just nodded as he felt the sweat start to pour from himself. He moved his hand to where hers was previously and found her sweet nub and began to massage it.

"Close?" Punk managed to ask and now she was at a loss for words and just nodded frantically. "Let go" he said to her softly but she was clearly trying to hold out and he just looked more determined. He pushed down hard on her nub which froze her from moving and arched into her so hard that immediately cried out in pleasure and let go. He smiled as he watched her face and felt her start to fall back almost off of him completely but he caught her so just her hair was teasing the floor. He licked his lips as he watched his wife stretched out before him almost like a human sacrifice. He leaned down and started to kiss her stomach and once her strength had come back he helped her sit up again. He picked her up and dropped her onto the bed. As much as he enjoyed watching AJ come down form her high the almost borderline pain coming from his groin forced him to enter quickly and she cried out again as her arms reached around her and her nails dug into his back.

"Come on baby" AJ encouraged through breaths "Harder" she encouraged. Punk weaved in and out of her with such force that the headboard kept banging against the wall and she was sure there would be some damage but she didn't want to stop this. This was amazing and she wished she could be in this moment forever.

"How are you still so tight?" Punk asked his face was pressed into her neck "It's so fucking good"

"I'm going to…" AJ started off feeling as if she was going to climax again and sure enough a moment later she tightened around his body and he released the same time as her, buried as deep as he could go. He stopped moving once he let go and collapsed on top of her. After a minute he carefully pulled out of her and fell back onto the bed "Did you like your present?"

"Yea it was ok" Punk said catching his breath then looked over and smiled at her disappointed face "I'm kidding it was great. You still manage to surprise me" AJ noticed him getting out of the bed and frowned

"Where are you going?" she asked him then saw he was taking the camera off the stand "Oh no you're not going to watch that right now" she warned

"I'm not going to watch it I'm going to do a post interview" he said holding the camera and looking at her and watched as she pulled the bed sheet up to cover herself "So Mrs. Brooks how do you manage to stay in such fine shape?" he asked seriously as taped her.

"Well I run a lot" AJ said playing along "And I have a husband who keeps me in really good shape" Punk pulled the bed sheet down quickly so he could get a glimpse of her on the camera "Stop" she giggled pulling the sheet up

"Ok next question what's it like to be with the best in the world?" he asked very seriously and she let out a load laugh "Is it as good as everyone imagines and dreams?"

"Wow" AJ snorted giggling "You are full of yourself"

"Actually I think it was you that was just full of me" Punk responded cockily

"Oh my god" she giggled covering her face with her hands as she laughed "I could never be too full"

"My girl" he said proudly with a grin "So answer the question"

"It's amazing" She said to him

"Just amazing?" he asked focusing the camera on her red race

"Beyond amazing I'd even call it legendary" she said trying to be serious as he crawled back into the bed with the camera "Is the interview over now?"

"No" he said to her "Tell everyone I'm the best you've ever had"

"You are the best I've ever had" she smiled "Now put the camera down"

"I like it" Punk said to her "I think I'm going to interview you after every love making session" he said to her and she just rolled her eyes

"Whatever makes you happy" She smirked

"You make me happy" Punk smiled

"Tell that to the camera" AJ said and watched as he turned the camera on himself "My wife makes me very happy"

"Tell them I'm the best in the world" she said laughed

"She's the best in the world" Punk repeated without missing a beat

"Now tell the camera how you're going to turn it off now and shower with me because we need one" AJ said and Punk grinned

"I'm also the luckiest man in the world" Punk said eagerly as he turned off the camera.

* * *

**A/N: thanks for all the reviews! We still have the epilogue...**


	87. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

One year later…

"That's it" AJ grinned sitting on the floor with her arms extended "Come to mommy" she said waving her wobbling daughter over "Are you getting it?" she asked Punk but never turned to look at him

"I think so" Punk said looking at the camera oddly

"That's right" AJ said as her daughter slowly walked towards AJ "Almost there". Quinn carefully made her way to her mother and fell just short of her arms and landed on her butt. "That was so good baby" she smiled as her daughter began to cry.

"I got it!" Punk cheered

"Can you believe she's walking already?" AJ asked him happily as she bounced Quinn up and down trying to sooth her

"Time flies" Punk agreed as he put the camera down "Come here she needs daddy to cheer her up" he said taking Quinn from AJ and sure enough Quinn stopped crying

"She loves you more than me" AJ pouted

"No. She's just like you, you stop crying when I hold you too" Punk teased

"Jerk" AJ laughed as she stood up "She is going to be the prettiest flower girl ever"

"I can't believe Cliff is getting married" Punk muttered in disbelief

"I can't believe Erica is getting married" AJ countered very seriously

"I can't believe I agreed to pay for the wedding" Punk added

"We owe it to them" AJ said to him "They've been great to us"

"Yea I know" Punk said to her "Still I didn't think they'd accept our offer"

"Erica always accepts money" AJ laughed

"Yea I forgot" Punk said as he made funny faces at his daughter who giggled

"I'm going to take Louie out" AJ said to him as Louie waited anxiously by the door

"You always take him" Punk groaned

"He likes me better" AJ shrugged "besides I like being able to freely walk around again"

"It's been over a year and you still haven't gotten used to the fact that you're free to do what you want when you want"

"I just like it" AJ smiled

"Go and enjoy your walk" Punk encouraged "I'll just hang out here with Quinn"

"Are you two going to make dinner?" AJ asked hopefully

"Yea I think we can throw some frozen pizza in the oven, right kid?" he asked Quinn

"How very romantic" AJ teased

"You want a romantic dinner? Why didn't you just say so! I'll make the one with peperoni" He smirked as he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close to him while his other arm held Quinn

"Please stop spoiling me I can't stand it" AJ teased and he kissed her when Louie barked he pulled away "This dog still has it out for me"

"He's a good dog" AJ scolded laughing

"So seriously what do you want for dinner?" Punk asked

"Anything but frozen pizza" she said putting on her jacket "And nothing too big either"

"Why?" Punk asked

"Because you need to save room for dessert" AJ said to him

"Dessert?" Punk asked with a grin "On you?"

"Not literally on me" AJ laughed and he pouted

"Damn" Punk mumbled

* * *

Later that night Punk and AJ put Quinn to bed and headed off into their room. Louie still slept every night in Quinn's room and it had gotten to the point where Quinn would cry unless Louie was at her crib faithfully.

"So one year later and we're still here" AJ said looking over to him

"Yup" Punk said proudly "Just like I told you. I said we'd be right here just like this"

"Some things are different" AJ pointed out "You're back at work"

"Barely" Punk scoffed "I go back for four weeks and work a pay-per-view then take off for a couple of months. I don't have to work house shows, it's a sweet deal"

"Yea you're very lucky" AJ said to him "I'm glad you and Vince worked everything out"

"Well as much as I hated the job when I left I can't forget everything it gave me" Punk said to her

"Like this house" she smirked

"More like you" Punk said to her "If I wasn't there I probably would have never met you"

"Yea" AJ said softly thinking about it "Everything happens for a reason I guess"

"So have you giving any thought to the offer Vince offered you?" Punk asked her "You'd be working with me and Paul" he smirked

"It's a great deal" AJ agreed "But I love being a mom"

"You can still be a mom and work" Punk pointed out

"I know and maybe I will someday" AJ said to him "I just can't right now. I have to focus on my children. I feel like I lost so much time during this whole Christian mess"

"You didn't lose any time" Punk assured her "Did you say children?" he asked her "I'm pretty sure Louie wouldn't mind if you want to work as long as you gave him a bone before you left"

"I wasn't referring to Louie" AJ said looking up at him

"AJ…" He trailed off eyeing her oddly

"I'm pregnant" AJ smiled "You were right last year" she smirked "We're right were you said we'd be and I'd be pregnant."

"Are you sure?" Punk asked her

"I took about six tests" AJ said to him and smiled "It's a done deal." He smiled wide

"Another one?" he asked still smiling

"Another hell raiser" AJ said patting her stomach

"I hope you're not referring to our perfect angelic daughter as a hell raiser" Punk smirked

"Oh she's trouble" AJ laughed "At least this one hasn't given me morning sickness everyday"

"That's my boy" Punk grinned happily placing his hand over her stomach "Already looking out for his mom"

"Boy?" AJ smirked

"It's a boy" Punk said seriously "It has to be"

"What's wrong with another girl?" AJ asked him

"Nothing and as long as our child is healthy I'll be a happy dad but another girl means two daughters" Punk said to her

"So?" AJ laughed  
"That means there will be three of you" Punk said holding up three fingers "Two of you already team up against me to get everything you want, I don't think I could handle three"

"Oh stop" AJ giggled

"It's true! And every day that passes Quinn looks more and more like you and now she makes that same face you make" Punk said to her

"What face?" AJ pouted

"That's the one!" he said pointing at her "That face! That disappointed pouty face! I can't stand that face!"

"You love my face" AJ shot back at him

"I do but that face in particular could get you anything you want" Punk said to her "It's dangerous and now you've taught my daughter that face"

"And I'll teach our next daughter" AJ said proudly

"Boy" Punk said firmly "I can feel it in my gut"

"Right" AJ laughed "Just like your gut told you Quinn was a boy?"

"That wasn't my gut that was your doctor" Punk reminded her "but to get back on the whole you being pregnant thing how did it happen?"

"You really need me to explain it to you?" AJ asked surprised

"No wiseass" Punk mocked "I mean I thought you were on the pill"

"I am- I was" AJ said to him "I forgot just one night. And I didn't tell you because I didn't think forgetting it once could get me pregnant"

"So what night?" Punk asked her

"What?" AJ laughed

"I want to know what night we conceived our son" Punk said seriously

"Two months ago" AJ said to him and he nodded

"You're going to need to be a little more specific" Punk said to her

"The night we were down in the gym working late. I guess you can say I was helping you warm up for your match the next day" AJ said smugly

"That was a great night" he said to her seriously

"I was so busy getting everything ready that I forgot my pill" AJ said to him

"Hey I'm not complaining" Punk said to her seriously

"I can see that" AJ said to him "It must be nice to sit back and watch me do all the hard work"

"I'll help anyway I can" Punk said to her seriously

"I know" she smiled

"Are you happy?" Punk asked her

"I'm thrilled" she said to him "When I was pregnant with Quinn we found out in a negative way and throughout my entire pregnancy I was cooped up here living in fear this time it's going to be different"

"Yes it defiantly is" Punk assured her as he pushed her t-shirt up so her stomach was showing "Hi there" he said as he scoot down to her stomach. She forgot how much he loved talking to her stomach when she was pregnant with Quinn. "It's me your dad and I'd very much appreciate it if you were a boy" AJ let out a loud laugh as he continued to speak "Don't get me wrong women are great- your mom and sister are living proof of that but I need another guy around here. Even Louie has turned on me."

"Stop pressuring our child" AJ teased

"No pressure" Punk said innocently

"Oh none at all" AJ laughed

"I can't believe you're making me a dad again" Punk said smiling at her "Every great moment in my life revolves around you"

"I feel the same" AJ said sweetly "So if you could make it clear to Vince that you won't be around in about seven months I'd appreciate that"

"Done" Punk said without hesitation "I guess our guest room is turning into another nursery"

"Yep" AJ said proudly "I've been doing some reading and we have to make sure Quinn doesn't feel left out"

"Easy" Punk shrugged simply

"You say that now" AJ laughed "Two children aren't going to be easy"

"Our kids will be" Punk said to her "Look at Quinn- she's living proof of it"

"Don't jinx it" AJ warned

"I'm not I'm just stating facts" Punk shrugged

"No one knows either and I don't want to say anything until after Erica and Cliff's wedding" She said to him and he nodded "Let's not steal their moment"

"I can keep a secret" Punk smiled running his hand over her stomach

"If it is a boy we're naming him Phillip" she said and he just groaned in annoyance

"That was supposed to be Quinn's name" AJ reminded him

"Yes I know fine" Punk mumbled "You carry him all of this time you can name him. But I'm in charge of the nursery"

"Oh no" AJ mumbled

"A superhero hockey nursery!" Punk said to her "It's brilliant!"

"Whatever you want" AJ said to him "This pregnancy I plan on keeping my feet up and watching you do all of the work" she teased

"Sounds good to me" Punk said to her "I am going to miss having you and Quinn traveling with me"

"I'm still going to travel" AJ said to him "I'm not that far long along"

"I don't want you backstage while you're pregnant" Punk sighed "Then Vince is going to get ideas and try to make you work"

"It'll be fun." AJ assured him "We're a team we do things together"

"We'll talk about it later" Punk said to her. "I can't believe we're going to be a family of four" he laughed out still wrapping his brain around this

"Five" AJ corrected "Don't forget Louie"

"Right of course" Punk said to her "A family five. I'm a guy who has children and a dog- I'm going to need to get one of those dad cars"

"Does that scare you?" AJ asked him

"Not at all" Punk said honestly "I'm excited"

"Good me too" AJ said happily nuzzling her face against in the crock of his neck "It's all going to be ok"

"It really is" Punk confirmed

"I love you, thank you for not letting me settle all those years ago" AJ whispered

"You deserve better than second best" Punk said back to her "I love you too." And he kissed the top her head sweetly and they fell into a deep and more importantly peaceful slumber.

* * *

**A/N: That's it! I'm so sad to end this story I've loved writing it so very much and all of the reviews and kinds comments I had gotten really motivated so thank you for every review, tweet or for just simply reading it. I write for all of you and I'm sure I'll be back eventually... follow me on Twitter broe929 for comments or for any future projects. And once again thank you all you! Also head over to Twitter and let me know what you think AJ had... a boy or another girl! (hint: I already know the answer) :)**


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